Tears of a hound
by romanceisdead69
Summary: AU Tokyo, Sakazaki's playground. The man is filthy rich and the proud owner of a string of exclusive nightclubs that cater for the most discerning of clients. The path of worldwide success is wide open to him and he's just discovered a way to manufacture the perfect employee and has the perfect prototype. The only expense being one young man's life.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! :3**

**So…This story, it's not a fluff fic or anything as it's quite dark :S but I like to hope it will redeem itself later on. Hope you like it!**

**It's about sex-trade and human trafficking, which is actually a frighteningly huge industry these days so I hope it doesn't offend or upset anyone. A poem was one of my stimuli as well as something that someone had said to me when I was telling them about my plans to go abroad soon. **

**The 'joke' the guy said was about being kidnapped and sold into the sex industry. Needless to say I didn't find it funny in the least. **

**Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it *hides under bed* Comments are welcome of course! :) ****And for the record I still have no idea if it's Sakazaki or Sakagaki. Sorry for any mistakes! **

**Warnings: Swearing, explicit yaoi, mild BDSM. **

**}xXx{**

Nightfall,  
that saw the morning-glories float Tendril and string against the crumbling wall, Nurses him now,  
his skeleton for grief,  
his locks for comfort curled among the leaf….

…Thickened away from speech by fear, I move Around the body. Over his forepaws, steep declivities darken down the moonlight now, and the long throat that bayed a year ago declines from summer.

Flies would love to leap Between his eyes and hum away the space Between the ears, the hollow where a hare Could hide; another jealous dog would tumble The bones apart, angry, the shining crumble Of a great body gleaming in the air; Quivering pigeons foul his broken face….

Excerpt from:_ On the skeleton of a hound. James Wright_

**}xXx{**

He stares at the walls, they glisten. Condensation from the industrial grade boiler keeping the room ever damp, thick with mould and caked in many years worth of grime and mildew. Harmful spores pour into his lungs by the millions with each new breath, maintaining the boys state of constant sickness and keeping him weak, lethargic.

A cardboard box under the small, rusty metal bedstead houses the boy's most precious belongings, his _treasure_, the few things most important to him which he checks _everyday_, every night to make sure it's all still there lest the cleaning lady decide to take them when she comes in to collect her mop and bucket.

For if that one small, ripped, stained cardboard box were to be taken away, then he'd really have nothing. Not even himself left.

He doesn't know how long he's been here, like this - like it actually matters. All he knows is that sooner or later, someone will bang on that door as usual and he'll have to go, go to do whatever it is they will ask of him. As usual.

Thinking is futile, he's learned. So is fighting. Akihito had learned long ago that it's better to behave, it's better to go along with whatever his master wants, whatever he demands - for he had saved him. Saved Akihito from a fate much worse than this and he. Well. Doesn't know anything else now. He hasn't for a long time.

The boy doesn't remember his life before, if there even was one and he has driven himself crazy many, _so_ many times trying to find out just that by wracking his own memory relentlessly. But all it does is drag up terrible things, paralysingly terrifying things that make him scream and lash out and make him want to die. It's far too painful to remember how he got here. So it's better to be numb.

His one saving grace, the boy thinks with pride as he sits there on his too small bed, is his treasure. His secret red _view-master. His._ He looks at it everyday, looks through the lens to see vibrantly coloured, amazing sights and dreams about those places every night in between the nightmares and he swears that one day. One day he'll go to them and see them properly...

Sakazaki had told him that one of the boy's most loved and _favourite_ pictures within his view-master, is of a place called _Tokyo tower_ and that he'll take _Aki_ there if he's good.

But, he hasn't taken the boy there yet because _Aki_ is _bad._ He must be, because Sakazaki always tells him so...

***BANG***

And there it is, the noise that signals the start of Akihito's day so he gets up from where he was sat patiently waiting on the bed, wearing the only clothes he owns. A faded T-shirt and ripped jeans that hang far too loosely on him now, for some reason. He opens the door to the familiar, sneering face that greets him, Sakazaki. The man wearing one of his usual garishly coloured suits and leaning casually against the door frame, purring appreciatively at the sight of his pet.

A large hand finds it's way to the boy's jaw when he approaches his master and it directs his face up, squeezing on the boys adams apple uncomfortably as the man swoops in to claim the soft pink lips below. Bestowing the deepest of kisses upon Akihito and only letting him go when he whimpers, growing faint with lack of air.

"Good morning, kitten."

**}xXx{**

"…Yeah, spotted him on the roadside. I'm just y'know, helping him get back on his feet."

The shop assistant coos and simpers at Sakazaki's kind words, the man recalling how he had 'found' Akihito and taken him in, all those months ago. He does this now and again, takes the boy to designer clothes shops and department stores and uses him to lure young and attractive women to his bar with promises of support, opportunities. Similar to that of the mute young man currently in his 'care.'

Though, if they do fall for the rouse and travel to the club on those nights, what they get instead is pressure. Pressure to stay and pressure to give up the goods, all for the sake of the empty promises they had been so eager to believe.

This boy was a god-send, as far as Sakazaki is concerned. He had been an impulse buy a couple of years ago and he had heard nothing of him (the boy being placed in one of Sakazaki's many brothel's dotted around Japan.) Until six months ago when a manager had called, suggesting the kid had finally lost it having been like a ghost of his former feisty self for months. As a result both his takings and his popularity with clients were declining rapidly and so it was said that he should be sold to a BDSM club. Time for new merchandise and all that.

Sakazaki had been skeptical, remembering what a handful the boy was when he had first acquired him. Not a week went by where he didn't hear of how _Aki_ had brawled with staff or with one client or another, having to be beaten and subdued with aphrodisiac to be controlled in order for the client(s) to have any fun with him. Even sometimes to the point of delirium.

Heh, he thinks. Maybe we overdid it.

The cunning business man had wracked his brains, surging through the hundreds of possible opportunities and uses for such a boy and landed on two. Firstly (and this happening to be the one he is currently putting skilfully into action at the moment) is that he on a small scale would use him to pick up girls, more classy girls compared to those he had been used to dealing with. Fresh faced girls with their hopes, dreams and lives ahead of them, not the usual desperate whores looking for the next blow of coke, the next needle.

The larger scale plan however, the one that has Sakazaki _salivating_ is to use Akihito as a Guinea pig. One that will serve as a perfect example of a _perfect sub_, one that will be developed by none other than Sakazaki. If he could create a formula, a formula that worked even one out of two cases then that would mean it's a success and that there's a business in it. And business is Sakazaki's speciality.

He figured the kid is broken anyway so it wouldn't matter if the experiment fails, but if it succeeds. It means he can expand, build a new business with a fleet of docile, willing and thoroughly trained submissives for the line of BDSM clubs he owns. The private and exclusive ones. The ones where clients have utter control and free reign with their pets and where _anything,_ goes. He smiles at the thought. There'll be an endless line of replacements for the broken whores as more alone, friendless men and women join the ranks.

Shit. He can taste the profits already.

So. With this in mind, the man set about performing his experiment. The one that has resulted in Akihito's unwavering loyalty to Sakazaki now as for all Akihito knows. Sakazaki had saved Aki, saved him from his very own living hell. Sure his mind is now in a constant and everlasting purgatory, numb from despair and grief and wishing for death so many times, but it's still far better then it_ was at that time._ And he has Sakazaki to thank for that.

Even though Sakazaki had saved the boy from an ordeal completely of his own making.

Akihito had been beaten, tied up for days in a dingy hotel room after a group of men had_ taken_ him from the club. He was tired, so tired and forced to suffer through minute after minute and hour after hour of the same. Buzzing, punctuated occasionally by his own screams and mens laughter. They had watched him cry out in horror, soil himself and beg for death. But would only cackle and tease him in response, immune to the pitiful sight before them.

They had watched as he had to endure three endless days of torture where his only reprise was when they gave him a sip of water or when the dildo batteries would need changing. He would cry, come and pass out, only to be slapped awake a few minutes later in order to do it all over again. Body too weak from lack of food and rest to try anything else.

After a time, a long time. The humiliation, despair, hurt and terror welled up inside him to such a point where it was truly unbearable, to a point where something snapped within him and his mind went utterly numb, almost catatonic. The only defence it had in the face of such cruelty.

But when he had woken up after that, after the_ last time_, there he was. A gentle hand on his forehead, comforting words of "It's okay...You're okay now…" before he saw the mans face - and it had been Sakazaki. There with him in a clean, light room and Aki all tucked up into a soft, comfortable bed. He had saved him.

"…Wow Sakazaki-san, you're so charitable…"

The pretty sales assistant giggles some more, laying a playful hand on the mans arm. He smiles, ever the business man and definitely looking to seal the deal with this one as she looks utterly pure and delicious.

Akihito ignores this, normally only paying attention to anything his master addresses him directly with because his master _hates it_ when Aki 'eavesdrops.' The boy busies himself with the sportswear, liking the bright and different colours and wondering just what the different items of clothing could possibly be used _for_. _He_ only owns one pair of pants and a T-shirt and gets along just fine, so why would somebody need all these?

"…!"

There's a gasp from somewhere behind him and he ignores it, knowing that if it were his master then the man would address him properly so he carries on absentmindedly browsing, ignoring again the increasingly alarmed calls and shouts of someones name.

"…N-no. No way..."

"-Aki? Aki!"

"A-Akihito? Akihito It's you, oh my g-! - It's, it's really you?!"

A dark haired boy who looks around Akihito's age rushes to him, the expression on his face displaying nothing short of pure surprise and relief. The boy calls to Aki again, eyes glistening with unshed tears as he tentatively walks forward, arms out, almost scared but wanting so much to embrace his friend.

The one he's been searching three long years for.

"Please, it's. Is it really you Aki?…W-why?...Why didn't you reply our calls or emails?! We've - oh god we've been so worried about you - the police haven't been able to find you, your parents think you're dead. Where? Where the fuck have you been?!"

Akihito freezes as the stranger happens upon him so suddenly, talking so fast it's all a blur, too much for the boy to handle. His mind hums loudly in his ears and his vision swims before his eyes as images of grabbing hands, leering faces and dark shadows steal the air from his lungs to the point where he can no longer breathe.

He starts to panic like a frantic, cornered wild animal, clawing at the air in an attempt to push away the figure and breathing so shallowly, closing his eyes tightly as he backs away, grunting. Pulling at his hair now and begging silently to be left alone. For the unbearable, overwhelming memory of a million phantom hands, hot mouths and cackling shadows to please leave him be. He can't take anymore.

Even though it's only Koh. His best friend.

"What's the problem here? Did something spook my little house cat?"

The goatee'd man saunters over, sliding an arm around the pale, distressed boys shoulders so Akihito can clutch his masters shirt and bury his head in the warmth, calming down slowly and thinking that it's okay, I'm okay now. He tells himself. He's safe because Sakazaki's here.

In these few bizarre moments, Koh can't help but look on helplessly and gape rudely in shock at the sight before him. His once confident, vibrant and out-going friend is now stood before him after _three years_ of being _missing_ - shaking like a leaf, as thin as a rake and clinging to some hairy guy for dear life_._ He asks himself whether this is really Akihito after all.

Well, if he hadn't been looking at Akihito's photo most days, worried sick over his AWOL friend then yeah, maybe he'd doubt himself. But there's no way, _no way this isn't Akihito_.

"What the?! You - why is he like this?!"

Sakazaki's eyes darken as he regards the stranger and frowns in mock thoughtfulness. He takes the trembling boys chin in his hand and asks Akihito sternly "do you know this person, kitten?"

Aki shakes his head, eyes wide as all he wants to do is go back home. To the club, where he'll be safe.

"Well there you have it kid, he doesn't know you. Please don't bother him again."

They walk away from the sports concession then, leaving a very pissed off and downright flabbergasted Koh behind to hastily fish out his phone to call Takato,_ his and Akihito's friend._ To talk about what the hell just happened.

**}xXx{**

"Cigar, Brandy, Scotch? Anything you want gents, we gott'em all!"

Sakazaki laughs raucously, making his way back over to his desk with a fully accessorised, tall glass of blue lagoon cocktail for himself as he waits on his latest servant girl to fix the drinks and provide cuban cigars for his guests. The man sits down, feet up on his desk which he withdraws almost immediately when he inadvertently catches the eye of none other than Asami Ryuichi.

The mans an enigma, appearing suddenly a couple of moths ago on the business scene reportedly with a vast empire of human trafficking routes through not only Asia but Europe and the U.S too. In other words. A fucking gold-mine.

Sakazaki _needs_ this man, needs a heavy hitter in the human trafficking industry to ship his goods. Whores just like the boy he's about to showcase to these cretins.

"You see gents…" He says, now lacing his fingers together and peering at the shrewd business rivals come allies before him. "…We've created the perfect sub. The unique process we've developed just recently is: _yes,_ an application of stockholm syndrome, simple but. You are about to see how effective it is..."

He smiles, relishing in the eager greed appearing over his prospective partners faces. Well, two of them anyway.

"The sub spends approximately 1-3 years in service at one of our clubs here in Japan. Of course each individual experience of the sub varies and out of the thirteen candidates we have tested so far, six of those responded positively to the tactic. For example. Takaba Akihito has developed many anxiety related disorders and he seems to have forgotten how to speak. Only ever saying a few words…."

He pauses for dramatic affect, drawing out the tension before continuing.

"You see, the object of the game is manipulation of the mind. A simple case of controlled and prolonged pressure or torture and then to offer a way out. A figure the subject can identify as their saviour. The little sluts are so grateful they have no choice but to do whatever we ask. So, ergo. Perfect sub! I believe, gentlemen, that there really is a market for this and Asami-san in particular, my proposal for you is that we make this a joint venture – your routes into the U.S and Europe for a significant cut."

Asami just nods once, face displaying all his infuriating nonchalance and self assurance as he absentmindedly exhales think, tobacco rich smoke.

"You need more proof?"

***Buzz***

"Send Takaba in."

A few moments go by, Sakazaki practically bouncing in his chair as he radiates insufferable levels of self satisfaction before there's an oh so soft knock at the door and a young man steps into the room. Eyes to the floor and dressed especially for the occasion in black leather straps and chains.

"Aki. Come."

Sakazaki motions the boy over to sit on his lap, facing his esteemed guests so he can start the show after having handed Akihito a lollypop laced with cocaine. The boy licks it appreciatively, though also unintentionally seductively and _god_, his master thinks, a few months ago this just wouldn't have been possible. Akihito sat here like this, but now. Now the boy is going to single handedly increase Sakazaki's business opportunities ten-fold. Lets just hope Asami's as pleased with the little slut as much as he is.

After a few minutes Sakazaki grows impatient. Ripping the sugary, raspberry flavoured treat from Akihito's hand and making the boy "oh." softly. Feeling his loss as it's the first thing he's eaten for days. The boy recovers though and turns around sharply, sliding off of Sakazaki's lap to the floor where he proceeds to unzip the mans trousers. Being stopped with urgent hands to the face, pushing him away.

"No. Stop….Fufu...I doubt these guys want to see you sucking me off, although it is quite something…"

The goatee'd club owner reaches for his drink as he laughs heartily then, looking up to share in the joke with the three investors sat before him though almost choking on his blue lagoon when he sees Asami sigh, having only spared a glance at the beautifully strapped up boy as he worked his tongue around the deep pink lolly pop.

Months of work for a _fucking_ glance? You 'gotta be fucking joking.

The man takes a breath. Knowing deep down that of course he'll have to do more to impress a man with a reputation such as Asami's. (More than just flaunt some quality ass before him _that's for sure,_ the guy must have it on tap 24/7 _after all._)

Yes. A man of_ his_ calibre - needs a _proper_ show.

"OK Aki, go over there. Let these gentlemen spank you as much as they like alright? You've been a bad boy…"

"...Ba...bad…boy?…_Bad_?" Akihito repeats, mind a little hazy from the coke laced lolly but wondering just what he could have done today to make his master angry at him.

Eventually Sakazaki tuts, once again loosing his patience as he motions Akihito to move. Sending him over to a clear space by the large window to get onto all fours, waiting patiently like he's told for a beating he doesn't even deserve.

Asami watches the kid out of the corner of his eye and the golden eyed, raven haired man doesn't like this ridiculous charade one bit. Theres something to be said for the the breaking down of ones opponent _fairly_, with a certain kind of thugs honour in place so that both parties realise just _who_ is the victor – and just whom has been _defeated._

But this underhand cheating and manipulation of innocents, a boy barely old enough to drink let alone be purposefully destroyed and abused to such an extent and used in such a way. Especially when the kid sees this bastard Sakazaki as some kind of saviour.

His thoughts are interrupted by a low, rumbling purr from the bald headed pervert sat next to him.

"Well guys, _have a taste._ Oh he won't try anything, you don't have to worry there…"

Matsuhisa, the head of a relatively new family of yakuza is the first to get up. His love for BDSM thoroughly roused upon seeing this delicious piece of ass already wrapped up nice and tight in leather restraints for him. The man removes his belt, licking his lips as the tattooed skin-head comes upon the boy to strike the first harsh, unforgiving blow to Akihito's pale ass, making it turn a bright crimson and burn painfully as millions blood vessels enflame beneath the surface of his fair, fleshy mounds.

After every few hits the man pauses, listening with pleasure to the mewls that the boy whimpers out through pained, shallow breaths. Powerless to do anything in the face of such relentless brutality. Sakazaki smiles, knowing he can push it much, much further and insists Mastuhisa hit the boy harder now. After he has made one more simple request that is.

"_Aki!_ Don't you make a noise _now_. I don't want to hear you anymore."

The yakuza laughs, now letting loose and going to town on whipping Akihito with the thick leather belt. It tears the skin, blood oozing out like tears from the angry wounds as Akihito screws his eyes shut, biting deeply into his bottom lip in a desperate attempt to prevent himself making a noise. Otherwise his master might get mad at him again.

Matsuhisa pauses in whipping the boy once more to reach a hand under Akihito to try and rouse the boy's flaccid member to life, thought he's in far too much agony to sustain the condition for long.

Sakazaki takes a mental note to increase Akihito's dose of coke next time.

The boy's body shakes uncontrollably both from the hand jerking roughly at his member and with the constant surge of adrenaline and severe pain. The combined assault has his eyes watering and rolling towards the back of his head.

His body falling into a state of shock.

Asami watches on and is beside himself with disgust, watching this little bitch of a brat take his punishment with utter acceptance. Where's the fight, where's his pride? Has Sakazaki actually managed in the breaking down of a persons psyche to such an extent that all traces of life are torn away completely and all that remains after is a worthless, empty shell?

Well, it would seem so.

However.

He watches the boy now though, watching a little more closely at how each new cut is carved, etched into the raw flesh again and again. So much so that the noises produced now from the whipping become wet sounding._ muffled._ Blood dulls the harsh blows as it flows thick and fast from the boy's brutalised ass - and he thinks that maybe, _actually_.

Maybe this one's strong after all, for despite the soul shatteringly intense, craze inducing pain the boy must be in. He's not making even one sound.

**}xXx{**

***RING***

Asami awakens and tuts, seeing the name of his partner flash up on his caller I.D from where his phone lay on the nightstand. He impatiently dislodges his lovers arm from his mid section, the manicured hand falling to the mattress with a flop behind him as he gets up - he hates it when people cling to him. How can they be so needy, even in sleep?

The man sits on the side of the bed, not rushing in lighting a cigarette and taking a deep inhale before he finally answers the phone.

"What is it Mikhail?"

His partner laughs, sensing the already foul mood the top undercover officer is in and offers up some good news, hoping to improve the volatile mans morning some.

"Well, the warrant finally came through on the _Aisuru dorei club _so we're raiding it in two hours."

Asami smirks, his partner knows him so well and there's a huge sense of satisfaction to be found in taking down scum such as Sakazaki. It had been a tough one, Asami having to bribe and manipulate even the topmost players in Tokyo's underworld to gain a clear path to Sakazaki. The man being quite the nuisance, abducting young men and women alike for at least the last six years and selling them into the sex industry.

From there he would not only just work them to beyond repair but also do something worse, much worse. If that's even possible - but unfortunately it is, and Asami's precinct happens to have a stack of cold cases almost as tall as his six food three body. All thanks to Sakazaki's business.

But. Asami had infiltrated the club and has _now_ gained more than enough evidence to take this bastard down _once and for all._

And in just two hours time.

**}xXx{**

The desk rattles, pens rolling off the sides and stacks of paperwork shuffling about chaotically as Sakazaki rams into Akihito violently.

The boy lay under him now, spread out temptingly with his face flushed and his legs held high and wide. A pair of large, rough hands are on his too thin throat and keep a steady, sweaty grip as the man pounds into Akihito hard.

All that's heard in the spacious office is Sakazaki's grunting, punctuated occasionally with a faint, strained panting along with the odd moan as all Akihito knows now is how to_ feel_. Psychically feel that is as he had learned a long time ago that emotions, memories and even his own personality are the things that often get him into a lot of trouble.

The hands on his throat tighten a fraction more, teasingly before applying a sudden crushing force to the boy's larynx as Sakazaki brings himself to climax. Akihito coughs, his pure, natural instincts kicking in which prompts him to subconsciously reach for the hands at his throat. A reflex to protect one of his most vulnerable areas.

"Don't you dare Aki…" Sakazaki growls as he pants harshly above the boy. "…Don't you dare fight me."

So he drops his hands, leaving them laying there limply at his sides as his back and still sore behind slides back and forth over the polished desk top with every new, harsh thrust into him. Vision blurring, eyes rolling and he fights the urge to cough as his body rebells against the lack of oxygen.

There's a sudden commotion outside, noise spilling through the closed office door as many muffled voices are heard coming from down the hall and Sakazaki slows, wondering why there would be so many people in this section of the club at this time of morning. He presses the intercom on his desk's phone to ask his secretary just what the fucks happening, all the while still fucking Akihito.

"S-sir, there are men here and they are asking for you. I-I think it's the police!"

"...Fucks sake."

Sakazaki pulls out and hastily wipes his cock on his satin pocket handkerchief before zipping up to go and investigate. Thinking it's not like the cops would have shit on him anyway, so he anticipates being back inside Akihito in nine minutes. Max...

"Stay right there Aki, don't you move even one inch you hear me?"

Akihito doesn't nod, taking the order as absolute so he just lays there. Legs up and spread, shaking slightly with the strain but as far apart as he can manage. His arms still lay at his sides and he waits for his masters return….

**}xXx{**

Over the next _twenty_ minutes theres nothing but a series of bangs, crashes and screaming from the various male and female employees getting herded about the building. Akihito can only lay there, eyes watering from the strain but still remaining as statuesque as he possibly can. He hears the door creak open somewhere behind him and mumbling before it creaks shut again and his eyes swivel like mad, trying to see around him to who has entered the room. To see if his master is back yet.

He's not.

Out in the hall, Arbatov closes the door and looks back at Asami with a smile. The taller man is smoking, walking towards where his partner stands poised with Sakazaki's office doorknob in hand.

"He was certainly in the middle of something, or someone. Maybe we should have apologised for intruding."

Asami sighs, stubbing out his cigarette on the gold brocade wallpaper before walking past his partner and entering the room, to survey the scene before him. The flushed, sweaty boy laying on the desk, legs held apart and with fat globs of semen glistening on his stomach. Red, angry bite marks cover his thighs and chest.

Asami slowly makes his way around the desk. eyes on Akihito and Akihito's eyes still wide and swivelling in their sockets as they look right back at Asami, sure it's okay if he only moves his eyeballs.

There is a strange tension and a kind of stand off as Asami stands where Sakazaki had been just a few minutes ago. He looks down at Akihito's body and genitals, observing how the boys chest rises and falls steadily and he raises a hand, running an index finger along from the silent young mans chest, along his stomach and across to a thigh, knee and down his leg. Stopping at a foot and noting how Akihito can't help but shiver at his touch.

"Pathetic."

Asami lights a cigarette, looking away from Akihito now as he takes a step away, opening and closing drawers absentmindedly on the look out for nothing in particular. He's got all the evidence he needs.

"Sakazaki isn't coming back, so it's better if you forget what ever order he just gave you. You're coming with me."

Akihito blinks, a little confused at the words. A small voice rasps out a question.

"Sa-san – back?"

"No."

"Sa-san, doko?"

"He's. Not. Coming back. Put some clothes on and follow me…"

There's a pause as Asami begins to walk to the door, only stopping when he fails to hear sounds of activity behind him.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Now…"

Akihito gulps, not sure whether to break one command in order to obey another so he hesitates. Ever so slowly dropping his legs and only when sensing no immediate reprimand for going against Sakazaki's words, does he get up. Sliding gingerly from the desk as the slightly infected wounds on his ass grate painfully against the mahogany desktop.

He leans forward then, intending to stoop down to grab his harness in order to get changed before he falls to the floor completely. Exhausted.

The boy sits crumpled on the floor, legs sprawled out under him and arms repeatedly giving way even as he tries again to stand up so he can get dressed. Programmed to obey orders.

Asami makes his way back around the desk and pulls Akihito to his feet, holding the boys bicep easily in hand as he scans around for the boys clothes. He asks where they are and Akihito directs him to the same heap of chains and leather Asami had seen three weeks ago also in this office.

"Not that." He snaps, patience wearing thin. "Don't you have any clothes?"

Akihito shakes his head a little, gesturing to somewhere behind him and grunting before he attempts to reach for the harness again and Asami pulls the boys frail arm, aborting the mutes attempt to get dressed and forces the boy to look at him, sighing once more. He tells Akihito to "stay" before he lets go of him, stepping away himself to remove his mac.

The man drapes his own coat around the boy, poking his weedy arms into the sleeves and wrapping it around him like a kimono. The coat being big enough to fit about four Akihito's in. He rolls up the sleeves a little and ties the belt tightly around the boy's midriff.

Akihito is very happy with the coat when it's all done up and does a little half twirl, not having been allowed to wear actual clothes for weeks since his visit to the department store.

"Follow me…"

They leave the room, Arbatov still loitering in the hallway with some other officers and he looks around when Asami shuts the door behind Akihito with a distinctive click. The blonde man observes the boy, he being almost dwarfed completely by the large coat he's dressed in and Arbatov looks knowingly to Asami, his own perverted mind drawing conclusions of his own as to why Asami's paying particular attention to this kid.

"Welcome back, what should we do with this little twink?"

"He's going to stay with me."

Arbatov's eyebrows raise a fraction, not being accustomed to seeing Asami offering well, anything. But Asami just smokes, purposefully not paying attention to his pain in the ass of a partner and exhales a nonchalant stream of smoke in his face before stepping past the man in order to leave.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get a conviction on Sakazaki…."

He walks down the vast hallway with Akihito in tow, passing room upon room that was up until this morning used for BDSM play and eventually feels a small tug on the sleeve of his suit jacket, so he looks back. Mildly surprised and thinking that this is a relatively bold move for such a spineless kid…

"Uh u-I can…can get?"

Asami, not quite understanding what the boy means, nods and Akihito immediately runs back on himself a little, going into another hallway as the cop frowns, wondering if the kids actually daring to run away from him so he follows, seeing Akihito opening door leading to a small room from the branched off hallway.

He steps into the room behind the boy, seeing that he's rushing to the corner where a small, rusted bed frame sits. The mattress on it doesn't really class as a mattress at all because it's so worn, springs sticking out of the top and sides.

Akihito reaches under his bed, taking out his precious box. One that was formally used to hold wash tablets and now holds his most precious of belongings. He takes out the tarnished, old red viewfinder with and his photo reel of Tokyo, looking back to Asami to leave now his personal task has been accomplished.

He clutches it to his chest and gets up – only to stop dead in his tracks, alarmed when faced with Asami's palpable anger. It filling the room.

Asami is looking at the room with utter disgust on his face, from the boiler steaming steadily in the corner to the mildew and dirt _everywhere_, collected in the corners and lining the walls where the breeze blocks and mortar have swelled so much from the constant build up of condensation and dust.

Even the mop and bucket sitting almost innocently in the corner gives off a stale, pungent smell of bleach.

The man sees that there's a set of stained pyjamas folded neatly upon the bed. This boy had to sleep here? And there are no personal affects, no comforts, his only possession in the world appears to be that damn box holding the view-master.

Asami's expression softens a little now as he observes the boy standing awkwardly before him.

"Done?"

Akihito nods and looks down to the floor once more, following Asami out of the room…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

**Thank you so much for the support for this new story, I was expecting a barrage of "wtf's" so thank you! :3 Thanks for the kind words and reviews, please please please continue to enjoy it. **

**I have been quite ill over the past week which surprisingly isn't conducive to either creativity or ones ability to spell so I apologise for any mistakes I have made! Sorry! **

**N.B: I don't own the characters, apart from the ones I have made up which in no way are as awesome as Yamane-sensei's ones as well all know. Sorry - rambling. **

**Warnings: Swearing, mentions of drug withdrawal symptoms which some people might find disturbing. **

**}xXx{**

Asami throws _Pocky_ and _Yan Yan_ boxes by the dozen into his already crammed shopping basket and stops a moment in front of the _Hello Panda _biscuits, briefly debating which flavour to get before muttering a "to hell with it" to himself and just grabbing two of each anyway, jamming them into the basket too.

The detective is in uncharted territory, not ever having the inclination to buy disgustingly sweet things like this before, he figures he may as well just stock up on everything that's the exact opposite of his own personal tastes in order to shop for his new house guest. A twenty something brat.

It's early morning, around six thirty AM and he had pulled the car up to this convenience store just a few moments ago, it being now a few hours since the raid on Sakazaki's club. He had got out of the car, telling Akihito to "stay" sternly and leaving the boy still strapped in with his seatbelt (confident that the kid wouldn't be able to undo it himself even if did try to escape.)

Well, he did lock the doors as well though, just incase.

"…"

The man sighs to himself, thinking about the seemingly hopeless kid currently sat in his BMW and wonders just what the fucks he's got himself into now and really - what the hell made him even _think for a second,_ that he can rehabilitate a mute, former sex slave and make a credible witness out of him?

Oh, that's right. A conviction on Sakazaki. And the whole 'I'll do anything' thing. Right.

The detective decides to swing by the pharmacy counter with his heaving basket full of food and fizzy pop to pick out a heavy duty antiseptic for the boy's red raw and weeping, infected wounds (and for some weird reason that even Asami can't figure out. A cuddly toy.)

He can't though, decide (as he stands, scowling down at the thing in his hand) whether the pink abomination is a puma, bear or a cat. But, he figures the boy will like it either way, as his only worldly possession right now appears to be that one little red view-master.

Asami shakes his head, noting to himself how intriguing the boy's predicament seems and makes a mental note to call the precinct when he gets home to ensure his men are doing all they can to find out about the boy's past. Notifying his family can _wait_ for now (as they would more than likely attempt to interfere) but, it will certainly be to Asami's disadvantage if the boy turns out to have been some dope fiend or prostitute _before_ he had become Sakazaki's rent boy...

A man in a white coat approaches the counter upon Asami setting down the toy in order to ring the bell.

"Your strongest Antiseptic cream please."

"Of course, for yourself sir?"

"No."

"Ah then, is the intended person allergic to chlorhexidine or cetrimide?"

"No." (Probably.)

…Well…Asami thinks with some small amount of trepidation, as the pharmacist disappears to get the cream, is that all of those facts about Akihito's past remain moot for the moment though as now. The boy is really in no position to testify _at all_ at the moment - mostly as he has a whole host of problems and he can't even speak. So, Asami definitely has his work cut out for him in finding out more about this kid and preparing the boy for trial but in the mean time, he's going to have Akihito rest, adjust to new surroundings and _oh_ - eat, his first decent meal in what looks like years...

The pharmacist draws Asami's attention, finally returning with the antiseptic cream which fits strategically into the piled up basket along with the cuddly toy and Asami's on his way once more, the check out is in sight and the man remembers one last very important item on his shopping list, perhaps the most important.

He plonks his basket on the counter in front of the blushing shop assistant and orders a carton of one hundred cigarettes.

He figures he's going to need them.

**}xXx{**

Akihito blows onto the car window and draws the lines onto the frosted glass, creating one of his favourite images in the whole world; the silhouette of Tokyo tower. He leans closer, savouring how the street light shines through the lines smoothly drawn into the fog before the image disappears completely, due to the nice, hot air being blasted from the cars air vents on this cold winter morning. He wonders for the umpteenth where his master is, having left the club with that strange man. Asami.

The boy closes his eyes when he hears activity of noisy shadows move near the car and sinks into his seat, using the darkness to aid his escape from any prying eyes.

"…We'll put one up here as well Koh!"

Koh runs along the sidewalk next to the _Kwick go minimart_ to where Takato is stood looking at the community bill-board, that's usually advertised to sell people's unwanted goods and garage sales, but instead Takato holds up an poster; a photo of a cheerful, vibrant young man baring a MISSING label above as Koh brings up the staple gun to fix it to the board.

It had been by pure chance Koh had ended up in Shinjuku a couple of weeks ago, having to wait around to meet his girlfriend after she got off work in the department store. He had been browsing the clothes concessions to kill time when he had spotted what he had initially thought was an Akihito lookalike loitering in the soccer wear section and couldn't help but approach him, wanting to confirm whether it was his friend or not. It was. The brunette couldn't believe his eyes and he hates, _hates_ himself for letting Akihito slip through his fingers that day - but he had just been so shocked from what he had seen.

But _since_ that day he hasn't been able to sit still, _knowing._ That he's _definitely_ out there some where.

Yes Akihito had been alive all these years and Koh feels almost cheated knowing they had been searching all this time, he and Takato. For three long and incredibly uncertain years after their dear friend Akhito had just disappeared suddenly one day on his way to university. Since then, the boys had been juggling both a search for a missing person and their shaken, daily lives. It was so painful for them, going to work, continuing/ starting new relationships and maintaining the cheerful facade all the while trying not to think the worst and trying not to let the fear take over them.

What do you do when your closet friend just ups and disappears?

Now the twenty somethings spend their free time these days pursuing leads on Akihito, also before and after work like this morning (and on weekends) planting posters and searching hospitals or police missing persons lists in for any hints of unidentified young men, also often trawling through photo's of unclaimed bodies.

Three damn years, three years they have been undertaking this morbid routine but they had no idea that their very best friend was just minutes away, living in Shinjuku all this time.

The boys step back, admiring their work before turning to once more walk down the street towards the metro station, to go to work - once again trying to maintain their 'normal' lives. They are satisfied for now but they're already planning to meet again tonight to visit their usual haunts on the off chance someone might recognise Akihito's photo, though Takato can't stay out for too long as his new wife is expecting their first child any day now.

Because that's something else that Akihito has missed and where he had been missed. He was supposed to have been Takato's best man.

**}xXx{**

Asami comes out of the _Kwik go_ convenience store and casts his sharp gaze immediately on the car, breathing a sigh of relief that the boy is still there sat safely inside. It wouldn't do to have his star witness go missing, would it?

He unlocks the automatic doors and opens the passenger side, placing the two shopping bags on Akihito's lap with a "look after these" and waits until two gentle, tentative hands raise to cradle the heaving shopping bags and hold them close before letting go and slamming the door, getting into the drivers side so he can take the boy to his new but _temporary_ home.

Minutes later they arrive to the suspiciously luxurious apartment (not at all what cops can afford with their meagre salary) and once out of the elevator, Asami opens the door to let Akihito into the open plan apartment first as he's got his hands full with the shopping bags. The first few morning rays of sun shine in weakly through the large windows and the boy exclaims, eyes going impossibly wide and he breaks into a run once he sees the incredible view. As soon as he sees_ it_. There, in the distance.

"Nh! Ngh! Nnn! Eah-eea!..."

He stammers and stutters, tapping on the window and pressing himself up against the glass while Asami looks on, watching the boy closely with a quiet fascination as he pops the shopping bags on the kitchen counter and removes his suit jacket. He notes how the boy's face is lit up, so bright. And displaying utter enchantment and joy as he gestures to the iconic red tower framed perfectly and contained within the fantastic view from the detective's apartments window. It's _Tokyo tower. His Tokyo tower!_

"...Aa! E-ea a -"

The boy though, as he looks back at Asami in his moment of utter unguarded excitement, jolts. Stopping suddenly as he catches himself in a most unauthorised display, because he _knows_, his master _hates it. Loathes it_ when Aki makes a fuss and when Aki is noisy. How could he have forgotten?!

Akihito admonishes himself and looks stricken as he steps away from the window hastily, crossing his hands, lowering his head and now muttering out a cacophony of nonsensical whispers, apologies to Asami who he assumes is Sa-sans good friend.

Asami watches on still silently as he can't quite believe it, once again the boy is physically withering pathetically before his very eyes and once again transforming into the mindless broken doll he had seen all those weeks ago. It's fascinating really how the programmed behaviour, beaten and pounded into him over-ridies even the boys own pure nature and character.

His eyes darken as a deep set irritation eats away at his gut, he can't stand how piteous, how spineless this kid is and he can't quite help in wanting to drag the personality, the fight. Out of him. He's what stands in the way of him getting a conviction on Sakazaki after all.

"Akihito. Come."

Asami plucks the plush toy out of a bag and walks a forlorn Akihito to the apartments spacious spare room. He enters and places the cuddly toy on the bed, gesturing Akhito to enter, which he does, though while also casting a timid yet curious, wide eyed look over the plush single bed, wardrobe, windows and chest of draws before landing those huge, brilliant hazel eyes back on Asami. The man chuckles darkly, he can tell the boy's expecting punishment.

"This room is yours. I'll take you to the bathroom, have a shower and go to sleep until breakfasts ready. I'll lend you some clothes to wear as pyjama's."

He goes to walk around Akihito to go and collect some clothes but is stopped by a familiarly small voice.

"Sa…Sa-san?"

"I told you, he's not coming back. You won't be seeing him again."

Akihito casts his eye back down to the floor with an "u-ok" and wrings his hands together. Faintly aware that Sakazaki had never told him he would be leaving Akihito with someone else and he hash't been out of the club without him for a long time, maybe ever.

Asami sees this, his patience wearing thin as he needs to get this kid quickly, into a state where is relatively normal so he can testify - and just look at him. He's a mess. He turns around, levelling a sharp gaze on the boy.

"Akihito. Sakazaki asked me to look after you from now on. You will do what I say. Do you understand me?"

Akihito stills and slowly nods to answer Asami's question. So, his master and asked this man to look after him?

His eyes start to water at the prospect of never seeing the one person who has been a constant for him. A comfort. But he won't misbehave, he would get his new master upset with him.

"Follow me…."

He does walk out of the room now and heads straight to the bathroom, figuring he'll get the kid started in the shower before he grabs clothes for him. Asami starts the water, his chrome power shower heating up fast and the man rolls up his shirt sleeve, testing that it's OK before he turns to Akihito who is stood behind him looking at the shower in pure wonderment.

"It's warm now, go ahead and wash yourself…"

Aki jolts again and nods, moving to remove the coat immediately and tongue stuck between his teeth in concentration as he folds the mac the best he can to place it on the counter top. Naked, he steps in the shower, wincing when the warm water hits his wounds but adjusts to the pain quickly (mostly because pain is all he knows these days) while Asami leans against the door frame and watches the boy absentmindedly, taking in the slender figure that he can finally get a proper view of now Akihito is washing away all that caked on dirt -

And even Asami is close to gasping.

For almost every inch of the boy's body, under the initial brown grime is black and blue. Faint and fresh track marks, varying depths of scratch and teeth marks totally mar, all over, his once pale and undoubtedly perfect skin. Until almost no inch is left unspoiled.

Asami pushes off the door frame and reaches inside the shower cubicle, his hand brushing over the boy's arm and fair shoulder gently and he looks around. Questioning eyes looking to Asami for any possible orders but Asami just points, showing Akihito an array of hair and and body products on a shelf beside the shower head. The boy looks at them asking in a small voice what they are but Asami just laughs, suggesting he use the 'shampoo' for his hair and 'body wash' for the rest of him.

So Akihito takes one, mouthing the products title to himself slowly before raising the bottle in his hands and squirting fat blobs directly onto his head, making Asami chuckle some more. The boy smooshes the gel into his hair, technique lacking somewhat from lack of practice over the past few years but he smiles to himself, a little happy that he's experiencing something new and that feels so alien to him. And that feels so good.

The suds wash away and Akihito closes his eyes, the pain from the sting of water and soap against his raw nerve endings nothing new to him. It's nice though, showering is one of his favorite things to do and even better now he has actual, bubbly soap to use. He faces up and lets the water run over his features, relaxing into the warmth and Asami watches him for just a moment more, eventually moving to make a phone call to the precinct after placing a towel beside the shower and going to get clothes and the first aid items to leave them on the counter too, swapping them for the coat (that no offence to Akihito, will have to go now either in the trash or to a really, _really_ good dry-cleaner…)

**}xXx{**

"...Asami-san, your recording certainly helped with getting Sakazaki to admit that he was looking into opening up Human trafficking routes, however…The witnesses won't or can't say anything and the ones who will. Well - one of them has gone into withdrawal and is in hospital. That just leaves the one you're looking after."

"Yes, don't tell his family yet though Kuroda, I want to ensure he'll help the case before I hand him over to his legal guardian, if he has one.."

From where he stands in his bedroom, Asami hears footsteps behind him so he hangs up the phone, turning in time to see Akihito walk up to him and swiftly fall to his knees and before Asami even has time to ask, the boys mouth starts to nibble at Asami's cock through his trousers, hands on the mans muscular thighs. Asami's eyes fly wide in surprise and he fists the young mans damp hair, pushing his head back a little more roughly than intended.

"Don't."

Annoyed, Asami pushes Akihito's head again before releasing him and walks around the boy, heading to the bathroom to stop the shower that he assumes the kid couldn't figure out how to turn off himself. Meanwhile Akihito sits on the floor of Asami's bedroom still, confused and unsure as this has been his post shower routine for months...

"Akihito, get in here!"

He gets up to join Asami in the bathroom then and sees the man waiting for him impatiently next to the pile of clothes, towel and antiseptic cream.

"Put salve on your wounds and dress yourself."

Akihito looks at the tube that Asami hands him with wide eyes. Wounds?

"Your ass Akihito, put the cream on the cuts."

Akihito cottons on finally and follows the command in haste to try and please Asami after the failed blow job, he opens the tube but struggles to put the salve on himself though because he can't quite see his butt cheeks as he looks at them over his shoulders, which has the cop laughing out loud. (Asami _would_ tell tell the boy to just look into the mirror in order to easily apply the cream, but. Watching Akihito spin around and around like a little kitten chasing his tail like this is just too damn entertaining.) So Asami looks on, smirking to himself and looking with an increasing interest at how the boys hands glide over his scarred skin until eventually, all of the yellowish, weeping marks are covered with cream.

From there, Akihito is told to get changed into the casual jogging pants and T-shirt Asami had left for the boy and he waits in the front room, eager to get Akihito to bed so he can have some peace and quiet. As babysitting is surprisingly tiring.

Soon after, theres a soft pitter pattering of feet behind him and sure enough here comes Akihito, looking brighter and definitely more refreshed but his face is decorated with a most adorably distinct pout. He's wearing a far too big shirt and far too long trousers and Asami smiles widely now, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"You really are hopeless."

He stoops down to tuck in the shirt a little and roll up the waist band and trouser legs so the pants don't drag along the floor anymore, before getting up to take Akihito's hand loosely to lead him to the bedroom. The smaller hand squeezes his own which surprises Asami but he finds he doesn't mind and he opens the door, leaving Akihito in the doorway as he pulls back the covers of the memory foam bed.

"Get in."

He does and Asami puts the teddy bear on Akihito's chest when he has laid down obediently.

"Hold."

Two unsure hands place themselves either side of the teddy bear, holding it as instructed and Asami tucks both of them in.

"Sleep."

Akihito mumbles out a "hai" and closes his eyes.

Now Asami just watches the boy a few seconds more and draws the blinds, turning to leave the apartment to go buy clothes and extra food supplies for his new house guest after running a _small_ errand…

**}xXx{**

Asami pulls up his car at another luxury apartment block and gets out to go and see the woman he's been dating on and off for the past two years, it's a volatile relationship and the two are often at war as she is the top defence attorney in Tokyo. Hiruki Aiko. And he the top undercover detective.

It's safe to say the two don't have much in common but their bodies are at least compatible so they had settled quickly into a routine of meeting up for sex and not much else since the time they had first met. But it suits their needs for now and the connection in the business sense is also useful as they had agreed long ago to not bring their private life into the court room, but often exchange information about each others cases when needed.

The elevator dings, signalling his arrival and he rings the doorbell to her apartment.

"Oh, Ryuichi. What a nice surprise – why the hell did you leave in the middle of the night again?"

"A raid."

"Oh really? Fine, but if I find out your sleeping with some stripper again I'll cut your balls off, I don't want to catch anything…"

Asami laughs and she moves in for a kiss, not getting too carried away though as it takes her so long to get ready for work each morning.

"I won't be able to see you for a while Aiko, I'm tied up in a big case. Though they'll probably call you if you're hired to represent the defendant."

"Right, name?" She enquires, turning to put in her earrings in while looking into the hallway's mirror, all the while smirking facetiously enough to rival even Asami. As the man walks away to press the elevator button again.

"Sakazaki."

Asami's back is to Aiko so he misses how the woman's eyes narrow and her hands still for a moment as she applies her blood red lipstick, eyes flickering to Asami as the man disappears behind the sliding doors of the elevator.

**}xXx{**

Akihito wakes up with a sudden, shuddering breath to escape from a nightmare about being torn in two by searingly hot, pounding, pulsing columns inside of him, his body not being able to help remembering it's past trauma. His body is hot, so unbearably hot which is weird because Akihito is shivering like he's in sub zero conditions, but he can't help how his limbs shake, tremble uncontrollably as his body breaks out in cold sweats as he clutches weakly at his damp duvet and gasps for air.

"Ssa…Sa-san…Ple….He….lp."

His breathing grows more and more erratic though even as he knows he should be calming down from the dream and realises that _something_, is wrong. Akihito's eyes water, perhaps from tears, perhaps as a symptom of whatever he's going through but whatever it is, it's getting steadily worse and now he is also overcome with a wave of nausea.

He tries to get up when he feels himself about to vomit but his body feels so weak that he barely makes it a step before he collapses, having no choice but to vomit when the foul tasting, yellow bile forces it's way up his throat and past his lips. Akihito whimpers, teeth chattering with sudden cold chills as he lay there in his own filth on the floor, not having any clue at what could be happening to him but angry at himself for dirtying 'A-sans' nice things.

He stays there in a heap for some time with ringing in his ears and his heart palpitating wildly, threatening to beat it's way right out of his chest when his body suddenly starts to convulse. He jerks rigidly against the carpet, his head banging on the floor and he has no choice as he's too weak to do anything about it. Anything but clutch the teddy bear tightly in a hand before his body spasms out of control completely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi there,**

**Thank you very, very, very much for the reviews - I hope you continue to enjoy it! This is a relatively short chapter but things should start moving in the next one! And yes, I love being cruel to our beautiful Akihito. ^_^ **

**Sorry for any mistakes! And I'll say this now: I have only limited knowledge of the legal system, drugs and the subsequent withdrawal etc so sorry if I'm actually totally wrong on a lot of things, and hey - it's AU! :S**

**Lastly...I don't own the characters. (And I miss them so much, can't wait 'til February rolls around! ;_; )**

**Warnings: Swearing, drug use.**

**}xXx{**

'Akihito, wake up…'

An echo of the deep voiced command crashes like the waves of Kanagawa within Akihito's head, a solid pounding, heavy behind his eyelids force them to remain closed even as bile threatens to shoot forth once more from his dry mouth. He's laying somewhere warm, wet? An implacable force surrounds him, holding his body still in the luke warm water and finally, eventually he can bare the pain enough to force just one eye open, barely.

He wonders unconsciously whether that god awful, pitiful cry really came from him.

Asami breathes a small sigh of relief and hushes the boy in his arms as he squats beside the tub, his sleeves are rolled up and he's holding Akihito's head above the hastily drawn bath he had run in a bid to get the boy's near fatal temperature back down.

He had returned from Aiko's and the convenience store and curses himself for leisurely storing the groceries away and checking through his mail before deciding to check on the witness currently in his custody. And who he had thought was sleeping soundly.

The man had cursed upon seeing the lifeless form of Akihito sprawled out on the bedroom floor, skin a taking on a pale blueish hue and eyes wide and unseeing as his body shuddered and jerked as if electrocuted. Asami's infallible mind had taken less than a point of a second to fully asses the situation then, to rule out attempted suicide by the wealth of track marks he had already seen trailed upon boys milky skin and to his own knowledge of the case, Sakazaki. And that fact that the scumbag liked to keep his toys fully 'medicated' at all times.

For years at a time.

So this is a case of withdrawal, Asami figures, while he supports Akihito's limp body and pours cool water over his too hot chest, damning himself now for having overlooked this possibility, especially as it could spell the end of his case after all these months if both of his witnesses were to succumb to their symptoms.

He knows he must tread carefully, bringing down Akihito's temperature, keeping his airways clear and keeping him hydrated are vital if the boy is going to make it through the symptoms, or at least through the night. Asami pulls the plug and slips his arms deep into the tepid water to place one around Akihito's boney back and the other around his legs in order to lift the boy up. He carries the light figure in him arms princess style and stops off by the heated towel rack to pluck a fluffy white towel from it, so he can take Akihito to the master bedroom (the boy's own room out of order now having been thoroughly covered in vibrant yellow vomit.)

The man half sits Akihito on his king size bed so he can towel dry his back before lying him down completely, he drags the soft towel slowly over every inch of the boy's frightfully pale, bruised skin and finally turns away to get him some new clothes to wear and just incase, a large bowl. Asami dresses the unconscious Akihito and slips him under the covers, readying himself after to make a phone call to a much needed local supplier...

Yanzhui.

Because god only knows what deadly cocktail of barbiturates and stimulants this boy has been on for the past few years, but he needs to keep the boy alive. He's the key Asami needs to be able to lock Sakazaki away for good.

**}xXx{**

Asami waits for the methadone while he keeps checking in on Akihito every twenty minutes or so. He has one of Yanzhui's underlings bringing over the goods to his place, lest anyone bothersome spot a well known drug dealer near a top detectives residence. The man smokes in silence over by the open doors leading to the balcony in his living room and hears a dull thud from somewhere down the hall, he stubs out his cigarette and goes back into the dark master bedroom.

The curtains are still drawn and his eyes fall expectantly onto the bed though only to see that its in fact empty, but then it's the sheets that catch his eye. They're being dragged off of the bed and appear to be tangled around the body of a panicked, delirious Akihito as he pulls himself desperately across the floor, away from an unseen, ghoulish attacker.

There's the faintest of whispers and timid throaty cries as Akihito pleads with his captor, praying that they take mercy on him as he stares frightfully ahead with wide, unseeing eyes, his mouth agape while he claws at the carpet in a bid to escape, to drag his weak body away.

"….Hung-uh u ple-e!…..Pl-e-as…a..ca - guh-uh nu-no….no pl….ea….e…..!…."

Asami furrows his eyebrows for just a moment at the pitiful, disturbing sight, but takes a swift decision to nip this nonsense in the bud immediately after. He marches up to the side of Akihito and yanks the boy up easily by the biceps, flopping him down harshly on the bed before straddling him and holding his jaw firmly in a hand as the boy pushes meekly at his chest with weak hands.

He cries, all the while whimpering and ever so quietly begging in disjointed words and gasps, even ignoring how Asami squeezes down mercilessly on his jaw. Making the bones creak.

"STOP."

And like that the boys arms, though they don't fall to the mattress completely, do stop struggling and just stay propped up awkwardly on their elbows. His hands up in the air, unmoving. The boy's eyes however, remain dull and lifeless as he stares blankly ahead of him, his breath calming back down somewhat to a more steady rhythm.

"...Put your arms down."

Akihito then lowers his forearms steadily to the mattress, incidentally brushing the sides of Asami's torso along the way as the man still looms over him. Sweat and saliva glisten on the boy's face, neck and drips down onto his exposed collar bone, visible due to the large shirt he's wearing.

Asami's eyes linger on the boys blank eyes, face and chapped lips, parted slightly as he takes quiet, trembling breaths. The man raises a hand, eventually moving to trace a solitary thumb along the plump bottom lip, dipping it into a pool of saliva that had spilled out of the boy's mouth when he had been pleading during his delusion and rubs his now wet thumb over over the dry, rosy pink flesh and drags it all over, smearing the saliva over and around Akihito's lips.

And the boy doesn't do anything. Can't do anything.

He's a doll and he'd do anything he's told to, anything you want him to.

Even the most appalling, depraved things a person could ever imagine.

And Asami knows he could do anything he wants to him.

Because no one would give a damn.

Pathetic.

He stops, pushing himself up off the boy to get up to pull the tensed body up by the arms again to lie with his head back on the pillow. He stoops down to pick up the covers and tucks Akihito in once more, lingering over him, arms now either side of his shoulders.

"Go back to sleep."

"…"

"Answer me."

"…H….ha-i…"

The frail figure rests once more, closing his swollen eyes and calming down for the moment. And Asami really hopes Yanzhui's henchman hurries the fuck up with that methadone.

**}xXx{**

Asami pulls the door to, sighing and checking his watch to see that it's nine thirty in the evening already. He's frustrated that he has to go back to work tomorrow and report that he has no miraculous results from his non-existent interrogation and rehabilitation of the witness to report yet, not to mention he's wasted a whole day wrestling Akihito in and out of bed every time the boy had a delusional episode or needed to vomit up the water Asami had been relentlessly feeding him all day to stave off dehydration.

In the end though Yanzhui came through and someone had been by to drop off several weeks worth of methadone. A small price to pay really for Asami having kept him out of jail all these years, due to the man being one of many in Asami's vast underground intelligence network and worth having around.

As in the end, it pays to have _some_ criminals on your side, after all.

Asami had loaded a hefty dosage of the drug into a syringe and injected Akihito with it, noticing an almost instantaneous change within the boys body. The tremors, the sweats and the soft cries were extinguished as suddenly as if a switch was flipped. The tension visibly dissipating.

Until finally, craving sated. He had fallen into a restful sleep.

The detective opens the dryer door, plucks the toy out of laundry and whilst it's still warm, tucks it in with Akihito who moves appreciatively towards the source of warmth, sighing as he rests his face on the plump toy and brings up a hand to cling on to it. The man then only observes the boy for a second longer before deciding to tackle the somewhat disgusting task of cleaning the rest of the spare bedroom and order new carpet to be fitted as soon as humanly possible.

Hell, he wants to just move house after seeing the state of that bedroom.

Chuckling to himself as he ponders on his unexpectedly high-maintenance houseguest, the man decides to get a little rest himself before heading to the kitchen in order to prepare some breakfast for them both...

**}xXx{**

Asami smirks again, looming over the boy that's currently sleeping deeply, snoring, in his bed. The detective had napped on the couch and still had checked on Akihito every hour since two in the morning and had risen with the sun, knowing that now the boy's body would be much better now the symptoms will have subsided for now and he should eat something soon if he's going to start making a recovery.

Akihito is scowling, holding his teddy bear tight due to the relentless terror clawing at his unconscious mind but also not missing at all, the odd bangs and grumbles the boiler would kick out every so often in his old room. He opens his eyes slowly as a large hand shakes his shoulder and he blinks up at Asami, not really being used the the gentle wake up call as someone normally bangs on his door and roars at him to 'get the fuck up already' instead.

"Breakfast is ready, come out to the kitchen when you're ready..."

The boy blinks several times, the past twenty four hours a blur of searing pain, severe hot and cold flushes and a deep routed sense of fear he can't even begin to decipher and understand. His arm hurts though and he sees he has a fresh mark and bruise near the fold of his arm, he always gets them, usually form the times when Sa-san says that it's Akihito's medicine time and he needs to administer it. To stop Akihito from feeling poorly.

Well that's proof to Akihito right there that Asami had been asked by Sakazaki himself to take care of Akihito, if the man knows to give him his medicine like that.

Akihito steels himself with that reassurance and gets up, finding it surprisingly difficult as the muscles in his back and stomach ache so much both from vomiting and from convulsing, but he moves as quickly as possible as to not annoy his master. He hobbles to the kitchen and is a little overwhelmed at the sight that greets him, so much food, maybe more food than he's ever seen before in his life.

Asami leans off with his back to the countertop, arms and legs crossed and smoking his third or forth cigarette of the day while he studies the scrawny body and the downright gormless look on Akihito's face, before giving him an order to "sit" at the table. The boy tentatively pulls out a chair, seating himself and keeping his hands in his lap, eyes up and forward as to not look at the sumptuous food he assumes isn't for him. As he normally eats left overs.

There isn't a lot of food on the table by regular standards though, just serving plates with toast, eggs and a selection of cooked meats that Asami had prepared just a few minutes ago. He takes his time, grabbing a warmed plate from the counter top and moving to the table and to Akihito to load up the plate with mouth watering buttered toast, sausages, bacon and fried eggs before placing it elegantly down in front of the perfectly still young man. His name being called draws his attention.

"I'm going to shower, you have to eat everything on this plate and drink that tea before I'm back out here."

Akihito looks at the huge plate in wonderment, this not being the type of commands he usually gets so he's rather confused. He thinks Asami is strange. However, an order is an order though and he grunts an affirmative immediately at the back of his throat as he of course accepts the task. The boy goes to scoop up some egg onto his toast, seeing that it would be the most efficient way to complete his task quickly, before receiving a stern reprimand.

"No."

"…?"

"There's cutlery. Use it."

Akihito's eyebrows arch, fumbling as he hastily picks up his knife and fork to tackle the intimidating cuisine and carry out the command better so he doesn't anger Asami anymore. He fists the cutlery in his hands and stabs and scoops away at the mountain of food, not exactly in a refined or even appropriate manner for his age but he tries his best, straining forward to deliver the contents from the fork to his mouth lest it flop back onto his plate.

The boy moans and groans with all the new sensations rolling over his tongue, the delicious aroma's flowing into his nostrils and the feeling of an increasingly full stomach. He just hopes he doesn't start feeling poorly again so he won't sully anymore of Asami's nice things.

And Asami. Satisfied for the moment, slips off to get ready for work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello ;3**

**Another relatively short chapter but again things should start moving along now. Thank you for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing - It's very reassuring when you see people are reading your work and ~ hopefully ~ enjoying it. I hope you are! **

**Sorry for any mistakes! Characters belong to Yamane Sensei of course. **

**Warnings: Swearing.**

**}xXx{**

A knock at the office door draws Asami's attention as he sits working his way steadily through the pile of paperwork that had the chance to build up significantly during his day off yesterday. He glances up and sees Arbatov's smirking face through the glass before he comes in, helping himself to a seat and lighting a European brand cigarette.

"Yo."

Mikhail rests a foot casually on his knee and leans back in his seat, though not saying a word after the initial greeting which his partner assumes means he is supposed to enquire as to what the fuck he's doing in here. Asami sighs, lays down his pen and decides to join his partner in a smoke instead.

"...Why didn't you sort through this shit yesterday? Half of this is yours..."

"Eh? Why would I, you told me this was your case after all, right? I was doing you a favour."

Asami casts a furtive, cynical glance at his smirking, lazy ass colleague and taps the ash of his cigarette into an ashtray. He's used to shit not getting done when he's not here to tell people what to do so he doesn't argue his point further, instead choosing to return to his heap of files, signing and making notes where needed so he can get home sooner to his uh - guest. (Who he had left with a heap of branded sugary snacks, soda and orders to go to the toilet when he needs it but other than that, to behave himself or else.)

"Anyway Asami, I've got something real good for you right here. I'm quite glad too, it's saved me from wasting my time on it…"

The detective hears rustling and looks again to see Mikhail reach into his breast pocket and flourish a folded sheet of A4 paper proudly with a smile, he just smiles wickedly though, not moving to pass Asami the paper but the man looses interest quickly, choosing to return to the open file laid out on his desk instead and propping his cigarette on the side of the ashtray so he can pick up his parker pen.

"Hmm, what's this? You don't want it?"

"...Either give it to me or don't."

"Geeze, you're as fun as ever…" Mikhail laughs out a mock sigh and tosses the paper nonchalantly onto the desk top in front of Asami. "...Anyway yesterday, some kids came by with _this._ I told the guy on the desk not to tell them anything but you should know, that kid has people looking for him."

Asami's hand, which until that point had been writing, stops. He looks up again, now moving to reach for the paper.

"Not the parents?"

"No, two young guys. Must have been friends of his?"

Asami just 'Hn's' and casts the paper aside for the minute to carry on with his work, he's got Akihito's file now thanks to hearing his name from Sakazaki all those weeks ago but it tells him very little. Or rather, very little that will actually help in the building of his case so he had asked Mikhail to look into it yesterday. The boy had been (to put it mildly) a little shit whilst growing up and Asami had found upon reading the quite hefty file that the boy has a list of juvenile offences long enough to rival even Asami's own list of _solved cases_ in the whole of his twelve year career.

Trespassing, disorderly conduct, criminal nuisance charges and curfew violations to name but a few, but the list certainly paints a little more of a picture as to the boy's real personality. It_ doesn't_ tell him a damn thing though, about how the boy could have fallen into the clutches of that Asshole Sakazaki. If he had opted for a life of prostitution willingly for the sake of a newly developed drug habit for example, then this whole thing will have to be reevaluated. Taking Akihito in at all will have proved to have been a massive waste of Asami's time.

Akihito will hold very little credibility in court (and he's already pushing it as it is because the boy is so damaged, it means the defence team won't need much more leverage on their side to discredit Akihito as a witness. Anymore dirt on him being dragged up could mean his testimony is thrown out all together.) And if that happens, Asami will have to toss him out as soon as possible, he'll have to cast him aside as there will be nothing further to gain from the boy and from using him.

After passing on the poster, Mikhail has very little interest in the rest of the case so he heads out to the vending machine in the hall to grab a coffee, leaving Asami to soldier on diligently through the paperwork. It's only when he's conquered a substantial amount of the files forty minutes or so later that he takes a short break. Another cigarette. He leans back on the leather office chair and glances once more at the poster, not sure if he really got a good look at it earlier after all.

He collects it from the edge of the desk where he had discarded it and unfolds it to see the photocopied, hand drawn poster headed with the title of 'MISSING' in big, bold letters. Multi coloured he assumes, for the purpose of being as um, eye-catching as possible. Along with that and dotted around the page is various information listed, first name, height, age and place and date where he was last seen are all written above the footer. Who to contact about any sightings...

But central on the page, startlingly striking. Is a colour photo of a happy, healthy young man.

The twenty year old Takaba Akihito smiles brightly, looking as vibrant as a person possibly can while sits on a concrete step covered with autumn leaves and holding his prized camera in his hands. His eyes sparkle with a mischievous glint like he's in the midst of planning his latest scheme, so much so that he could even seem as a kitsune in human form.

Asami only thinks it over a moment more before he picks up the phone….

**}xXx{**

A little later that afternoon in a pokey little Café down the road from the Tokyo metropolitan police department, Asami sits waiting with a steaming black coffee for two young men to meet him by name of 'Koh' and 'Takato.' He checks his phone, noting that they should be there any second now and relaxes into his seat somewhat, though trying not to think about the recovering drug addict left unsupervised in his home all day today. He did turn off the gas and lock the door behind him this morning, right?

His absentminded thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of the bell overhead of the door as two people enter the cafe and judging by the hopeful looks on their faces, they are the kids he's been waiting for. One of them, the dark haired one, gets some notes from the light haired one and gets sent to the counter to order what Asami assumes will be very sweet coffees while the other taller one, marches straight to Asami's table, stopping just short of it.

"You're Asami-san?"

Asami nods and gets out of his seat to shake - "I'm Takato" 's hand, afterwards gesturing for him to sit before sitting himself and bidding Takato to spill whatever it is the boy's so obviously eager to say already.

"Look, I just wanna check before he comes over, it-it's definitely Aki right, uh Takaba Akihito, that you've seen? I don't wanna get Koh's hopes up again."

Asami raises an eyebrow but before he has a chance to ask what the 'again's' about, Koh comes over and perhaps a little shakily, pops the coffee down on the table and greets Asami, who gets up to shake his hand also. The man for his own reasons not being one to bow to people. Ever.

"Asami-san, thanks for calling!"

Koh says cheerfully as he sits beside his friend, waiting until Asami is also settled before continuing though he can barely contain his excitement and hope thats bursting forth rather embarrassingly, though he couldn't care less if this man really does turn out to know where Akihito is after all! He leans forward a little, his pure hearted, earnest gaze making a vein above Asami's eye twitch as the boy pleads with him.

"You…You've really spotted him? In Shinjuku right - I knew it, knew it!"

The man raises a hand to hush Koh, noticing that Takato is watching him closely with a somewhat dark expression but he just takes his time, hand still raised while he drinks a sip or two of his coffee before speaking and maybe just a little bit, putting them out of their misery.

"It's certainly true that I've seen him. He's currently in my care."

Two sets of eyes suddenly fly wide and Koh nearly knocks his coffee clean across the table as the boys jolt with the most unexpected news, that not only has this guy _seen_ Akihito, he's got him, here? At his house? Where?!

No way.

No. Fucking. Way.

There's a silence for one, two, maybe even ten minutes as Asami just silently sips his coffee and leaves the two boys to process that (what must have been quite shocking information) eventually though there's a strange noise, a strangled half sob from Koh. Who has his fists clenched and head down.

"…ing."

"Hn?"

"You're lying!"

Koh brings his head up suddenly and faces Asami, his now furious eyes glistening as his mouth strains, trying to hold back the emotion that threatens to burst from him. How dare this guy say something so simple, such an obvious lie when Takato and he have been searching for Akihito for three fucking years! As his body shakes with furious tension and Asami watches him with an even more infuriating nonchalance and self assurance, a reassuring hand finds it's way to his shoulder and Takato gives it a reassuring squeeze, before he himself finally speaks up, him having always been the most level headed of the three friends.

"Asami-san, you seem like a reasonable guy, so I'm gonna ask you to be straight with us…" Takato frowns for a second, taking a deep breath and looking like he's preparing himself for the worst. "Are you bullshitting us - I mean, are you telling us the truth? Who the hell are you? And how do you know Akihito?"

Obviously making a conscious effort to not ask the litany of questions flooding his already tortured mind, he looks beseechingly to Asami, sliding his hand from Koh's shoulder when Asami finally puts down his coffee cup and deigns to answer them.

"I am Asami Ryuichi, detective with the special branch with the Tokyo metropolitan police. Takaba Akihito is a witness and he is currently in my custody for the duration of the trial. What I want from_ you,_ is to tell me about his past, his character and the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, that lead you two 'gentlemen' to start dispensing_ these."_

He takes the poster from his breast pocket and chucks it towards the pair, it coming to a stop under Takato's quick hand where he unfolds it for both he and Koh to see, their eyes soften immediately on setting sights on the familiar, cheerful form shown in the photo there and that seems to do the trick as far as Asami can tell, as they only look for a moment longer before silently looking at each other and nodding, resembling kids making a silent oath which makes Asami smirk.

It's now two sets of determined eyes that set themselves on him.

"...Aki…Before he went missing…" Koh smiles, his eyes filling with a warm mirth as he recalls his most precious memories. "…He was a proper shit." They laugh, Asami not saying a thing as he had already known about Akihito's more uh, colourful past. It's not long though before they both resume their story, launching into anecdote after anecdote of this and that adventure and how Akihito would mastermind one hair-brained scheme after another.

"He loves photography, loves it and was studying it when he went missing. It happened when he was going to uni one morning, didn't it?" Koh says, looking to Takato who had been the last one to see him that day three years ago, the twenty year old Akihito who having stayed at Takato's flat the night before and went on his way to a morning lecture, just went and disappeared.

Takato nods and continues grimly on.

"The most the police found was video footage of him grabbing a bento box from a convenience store, a-after that-...His parents are still looking for him as well, although I think, _we think_, they have already assumed him…."

The sentence trails off to hang uncomfortably in the air and Asami wastes no time making his intentions clear, a touching reunion isn't what he's after.

"Don't tell them yet."

They look slightly confused and there's a hint of suspicion there as Takato speaks up.

"Can _we_ at least see him? Before we tell them?"

Asami doesn't give an answer right away, only stares to his left out of the fogged up window before he finally seems to reach an answer.

"Fine, but don't say anything unnecessary."

The pair look at each other again, gulping nervously as Asami rises and puts his coat on. It's only when he's reached the door and is looking back impatiently asking "Coming, or not?" Before they move hastily, marching behind the tall, arrogant man who they hope holds all the answers.

**}xXx{**

"…eal..uy?…I….ean….al…reepy..."

"say…nce…un..."

"Wh…?!...ort...Axe mu...er…!"

"….s…tho….Ito.."

"ea…."

"You're whispering like two school girls back there, if you have something to say you should go ahead and say it."

"Oh? Uh, Koh here was just wondering if you're some kind of axe muderer, I was just saying that you're too well dressed to be one."

Koh's face burns a bright red with embarrassment on being called out like that, yeah he did kind of ask that but Takato did most certainly_ not_ talk about Asami's clothes in response. Anyway, after the not-so-convincing reassurance from Takato that Asami seems legit, they had agreed that it's been their best chance so far to find Akihito and so, to go along with him anyway! Hmrph. Though even after saying_ that,_ the suited and booted guy currently driving them to his 'apartment' in his flashy black, tinted windowed beemer is pretty damn iffy. Did he win the lottery or something?!

"Dude, it's a real nice car you've got…How much do they go for these days?"

Takato gives the curious Koh a bewildered sideways glance and Asami chuckles, indicating to turn into his road.

"Just over 6,000,000¥."

Theres an appreciative whistle from Koh and despite himself, from Takato too. They sit even more nervously now though on that piece of news that they had brought on themselves, but shift forward when they notice the car is entering an underground garage of a super expensive, super exclusive building. Is this where he lives - or?

"D-dude, you're really not some axe muderer are you?"

Asami smiles as he parks the car, his glinting eyes catching the two nervous gazes of his passengers in the rear view mirror.

"No…" He says, and they huff out sighs of relief, audibly. But all too soon. "...It's not my usual weapon of choice."

He laughs as he gets out of the car, leaving them to regain use of their legs before getting out themselves to follow shakily to his apartment.

**}xXx{**

"Sheesh, you've got practically the whole top floor! Are you really with the police?"

Koh asks as the three all remove their shoes in Asami's entrance way, the man grabbing two extra pairs of slippers for his guests. He sets them down on the floor and reaches slowly inside his coat, making the two boys visibly pale and has _him_ shaking his head in wonder, they're like a vaudeville double act.

He draws his hand out of his coat slowly, flipping open his police I.D.

"Ahhhh…"

He gets two apologetic (and a little disappointed?) Nods in return and he returns the badge to his pocket with a smirk before leading the pair to the living room. Upon rounding the corner and entering the main living space of the apartment, the soft clip clop of their slippers is heard by the boy currently pressed up against the large window and he turns, red view-master in hand as he had tried for most of the day to compare the Tokyo tower in his view-master to that of the real world.

He drops to hide it behind his back immediately, seeing how he's been caught red handed messing around with it when he knows he's only supposed to play with it in his bedroom. Usually. He waits patiently for any reprimand for this disobedience but it doesn't come, only a lengthy silence in which Akihito dares the tiniest of glances up to Asami, not noting the two other pairs of watery, unbelieving eyes on him.

"Akihito, these are friends of mine, Koh and Takato. Say hello."

The two aforementioned boys stare, stop breathing and just stare unashamedly and bewilderedly at the person they know, they_ know_ to be Akihito. But at the same time it's not. They can see that his resemblance is perfect, uncanny even, his eyes, nose and mouth the same and in the right places, he's the same height -

But that's about where the similarity ends.

His eyes are yes the same colour and size but they're dull, red and swollen, his body pale and bruised. He's malnourished, hunched over and timid. Not at all the charming, bratty and confident guy they once knew and who they had called friend. He hasn't even looked at them.

"…ello…"

The boy finally says in a small voice and moves to the dining table then, to place his view master in the laquer box Asami had given to him after he had emptied it of Aiko's expensive jewellery. He shuts the lid and turns back to Asami and the boys, who inch forward ever so slightly, wanting so much to embrace their friend, hold him close and tell him how happy they are that he's alright. They stand there, eyes brimming with tears and hands itching to reach out to Akihito when he starts to wtf? Undress?!

"Akihito no. STOP."

The booming command stills Akihito's movements and he freezes with his shirt raised over his head, baring his marked, skinny and sickly pale chest. Asami swiftly marches over and yanks the boy's top back down, taking a long sighing breath. It's only the second day but this boy is utterly. Fucking. Useless.

"Go and put your box away and wait for me."

Akihito nods a small "hai" and picks up the box to disappear off into the bedroom while Asami turns to face murderous glares directed his way. He sighs again, feeling he's been doing that an awful lot lately and lights a cigarette to calm his already pushed-to-the-limit temper.

Koh at least waits until Akihito is out of earshot before rounding on Asami.

"What the hell? Have you done to him you-ASSHOLE?!"

With just a look alone from Asami in response to that question, the two boys step back slightly, reading suddenly the danger they had only faintly sensed before from this guy, now rolling off him in waves. He stares them down, not having time for some over-emotional, hormonal display from these insignificant kids and the room temperature dips by some ten degrees as the silence deafens the pair. All they had wanted was to see Akihito alive and well again, but he's here and like _that. _It's crazy, too much to take in! Just what -

"The hell?! What...Why the fuck is he like that?! Last time too, he-!"

Takato finally clears his throat, encouraging Koh to abort his tirade as his friend asks a quiet question, one that he knows he may certainly regret asking.

"Akihito...Was he, taken, by someone? Kept somewhere? Koh said last time Aki was with some guy -"

Asami studies the two defeated figures by his kitchen counter for a moment and moves towards the window to where Akihito had stood just a few seconds earlier, smoking in silence. He stays like that for some time, staring out at the view his young guest seems to love so much and it's only when he's smoked almost all of his cigarette does he glance back to them, having made his decision.

"...I'll tell you, about his circumstances. But you ought to think twice before you ask me for details. Think seriously about it. It'll be hard to see him the same way you had _before_ he went missing…Remember that."

"…"

There's two soft gasps and Takato and Koh look to each other again, steeling themselves to hear anything that Asami could tell them about their dear friend and knowing that because they both care for him, it's not like they really have a choice. It could be something horrific, their imaginations already taking them to places that they would never in a million years want to go, but they nod stiffly, knowing that it's the least they can do for Akihito to share even a little of the pain that he has so obviously been through for the three years he's been missing.

_"We_, we want to know. What he's been through."

And so, Asami nods, gesturing them toward the table as he knows that in all his years as a police officer, it's better to receive such devastating news when you're sitting down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yo,**

**Sorry for the long ass time it's taken me to update! Life has been a major bitch, chronic pmt kind of bitch in fact - but here's a super long chapter at least! :) ****Thanks very, very much for reading and for the ****reviews for this and my other stories! They are very much appreciated :D **

**For one reviewer that mentioned this: a note regarding my stories/characters being OOC if you care to read it or not…..**

**A character being OOC is a matter of personal opinion, however, they wouldn't do half the crazy shit we make them say or do here, in canon, thats just a fact. I have said at some point that they may be OOC - because even though I ADORE Viewfinder, own copies and reread it all the time, I still am discovering more and more about the story and characters upon each viewing so no, my characterisation and plots will not be perfect all or maybe even at any time because sorry, it's a fanfic, the same as with any other fanfic out there.  
Authors of fanfics simply love the characters and we are doing our best at exploring new stories and AU's with them. **

**Comments and constructive criticism still very welcome though, sorry for any mistakes! Characters and Finder series belongs to Yamane-sensei of course...**

**(ROLL ON FEBRUARY! New PIA Chapter pretty please sensei *✲ﾟ*｡✧٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶*✲ﾟ*｡✧)**

**Warnings: Swearing, implied rape.**

**}xXx{**

Asami eyes the two boys currently sat at his dining table as he lingers in the hall, on the phone to a cab company he's having pick up the two crumpled, dejected figures. A sniffly Koh and a livid Takato sip their tea's in silence, tense hands clenching around their mugs as they keep their gazes low, catching each others eyes every now and again only to go back to staring at the polished tabletop instead. Far too troubled right now to manage much else.

The man thinks back briefly to what he had told the pair, that he had believed Akihito was most likely taken off the streets by a team of scouts for a human trafficking ring and kept for several months in an auction facility before being moved to Osaka around nineteen months ago and then finally Tokyo where he has been ever since. He had been as frank as needed, letting them know that the boy was most likely subjected to regular beatings, physiological and psychological torture to break him, drugged to keep him quiet -

And fucked by anyone who could pay the asking price. Though that part thankfully, he left out, as even if it _may_ have been obvious from Akihito's state and behaviour, Asami is not so cruel as to quite confirm the boys' worst fears.

He snorts softly with amusement as he hangs up the phone and upon taking his eyes off the living room and placing them instead upon Akihito as he opens the door to the bedroom. seeing the boy sat in a clumsy seiza position and awaiting his master. He's been sat like that for how long exactly?

"Get up, Akihito."

The boy does, not raising his eyes though in a show of submission and falters, his legs and feet having gone completely numb during his time sat in such a manner. He winces a little as the pins and needles thunder through his newly freed limbs and he finds it hard to stand. Asami directs him to the bed, pushing him to sit and firmly rubbing Akihito's shins, calves and feet to move the blood along and awaken the tired veins and tingling nerve endings. The boy doesn't dare wince, knowing that he shouldn't show any outward discomfort to his keeper.

"Better?"

The man finally asks while smirking, kneeling at Akihito's feet but the boy doesn't reply, just continues to look to the carpet as he pulls a little face that wreaks of awkwardness and confusion…He doesn't know what better is - to be better. Better from what? There was only the feeling of discomfort just now, and then? Nothing. Numb again. His mind is incapable of striving for relief, sanctuary or the feeling of wellbeing. There is only this purgatory.

Asami ruffles the boys hair and leads Akihito out to join the boys already seated at the table, drinking their tea and provides Akihito with his own full cup. He seats himself and says to the boys that they can talk to him as they like and the atmosphere lightens a fraction finally with Koh and Takato trying to arrange their tremulous thoughts and focus them into even a single casual question. It's Koh who speaks up first, though he sniffles through it, snot and all.

"We can...bring your _camera_ next time Aki? You can take pictures? _Like_ you...used to…."

He smiles at Akihito who cocks his head in response, thinking that somehow what this person is saying resonates with him, somewhere deep down. They carry on like that for twenty minutes or so, Takato and Koh talking a lot about nothing in particular as Asami chips in now and again while Akihito listens on politely and messily gulps down his tea.

Eventually Asami's phone beeps, signalling a message from the driver that will take his guests home so he walks them to into the hall and calls the elevator, letting them know that they may come and visit the boy again but stresses that they _may not_ tell his parents at any cost. It's still too early.

They nod grimly, understanding that it wouldn't be beneficial for either party, really having seen the state of their friend.

When the elevator starts its decent down to the lobby, Asami turns back into his apartment and sees Akihito still sat obediently at the table. He makes his way there, looming over the boy with a hand placed both on the table top and on the back of Akihito's chair, hemming him in, cornering him.

"Now. There's just the matter of your punishment for that little display. Akihito…"

**}xXx{**

"Hold it, mhmm….Rub it, like that…."

"….Watch it, it's dripping everywhere…"

"Good, now put it in there…Gently…"

Akihito smiles, proudly wearing his very first kitchen apron as he manages the seemingly impossible task of washing and drying Asami's nice dinnerware under the mans instruction, towel drying the expensive plates carefully one by one without making too much of a mess and stacking them gently in the cupboards (though managing to drip water and bubbles just about everywhere with his sloppy handling.)

He does though, take care not to clank and knock the fine china around too much at least as he wants very much to please Asami, because he hasn't managed to so far despite his best efforts and trying all of the things that Sakazaki would usually have him do.

The pair had prepared dinner together and eaten soon after the visitors had departed an hour or so ago, Akihito's punishment after unintentionally trying to seduce his childhood friends meant that he had to undertake the task of washing and chopping the array of vegetables Asami had selected. After that the dinner itself had been quite interesting, what with the hacked apart vegetables of varying shapes and sizes and thus cooked to varying degrees, but, it had been nice enough, the two having fallen into a sense of normality already. Asami quite enjoying his hopelessly inept house guest.

The man leans past Akihito to pull the plug in the sink, the thick suds swirling their way down the plug hole as a hand swoops down, scooping some rich white foam onto a couple of fingers to transfer it to the end of Akihito's nose, making the boy go cross-eyed in an attempt to see the offending suds.

Asami laughs out loud as Akihito's eyes go wide, then close tightly, his nose twitching as he resists the urge to sneeze.

"Here -"

Asami's large hand, surprisingly gently, rests itself on Akihito's cheek and his thumb works it's way over the tip and bridge of Akihito's nose, removing the bubbles until none remain. He lingers there a second longer, eyes on Akihito's, breath ruffling the boys hair and his hand on a fair cheek before all remove themselves from him completely and Asami steps away.

"...Would you like a drink, Akihito?..."

Asami pours a whiskey for himself and some juice and they move to the living area so Asami can pick a film from his vast collection, careful not to choose one too gruesome, sexual or traumatic for Akihito so settles for an American action comedy rated for teenagers. This, he thinks, should be the longest two hours of his life and Asami wonders how this piece of shit even ended up in his film collection in the first place. Maybe one of his more immature, bratty lovers left it here?...

The two settle sometime later on opposite ends of the sofa, Akihito firmly tucked under a blanket to ensure he keeps his hands to himself after being thoroughly banished from Asami's lap as that's where Akihito had assumed that man had wanted him to sit. The boy had made it as far as getting his butt cheeks into contact with the suit fabric of Asami's trousers before being unceremoniously tossed aside with a tut and ordered to stay put now on his own sofa cushion.

The movie plays through it's generic and all too clichéd 'laugh a minute' story line as the men sit in relative silence, Asami sips his whiskey and diligently ignores his phone as it beeps every now and again from increasingly pissed off texts from one very ignored and irritated Aiko and amongst the endless puns, explosions and sound bytes blaring from the large flat screen T.V's sound system, there's an irritating rattling type of noise which has been irking the detective for a while now. It's like there's a breeze filtering in from his windows (either that or his Aircon's on the blink.)

He casually glances to the boy after deleting the newest abusive 'Seriously, the fuck? Are you coming over or what?!' Text from Aiko and sees that Akihito's trying to sit still on the sofa next to him but is fidgeting (much to Asami's irritation.) He's sweating, breathing shallow breaths with his mouth hanging open as he wheezes out rattling whisps of air.

'Ah...' Asami thinks to himself somewhere in the back of his mind as he absentmindedly witnesses the most unusual display, he's figured out where the (other) irritating noise was coming from and he feels the tiniest pang of pity, seeing that Akihito is obviously trying to be as unobtrusive as possible as per his order even while feeling more of the violent symptoms of withdrawal.

Asami rises from the sofa without a word and moves to his bedroom where he collects the vial and a fresh needle, loading up just enough to alleviate Akihito's symptoms. He returns to the boy, squeezing a trembling shoulder to catch his attention before he removes Akihito's right arm from under the blanket. The needle tip rests against the still marked skin for just a minute, Asami finding a fresh vein to plunge the needle to into before it disappears into the boy's arm and he visibly relaxes once more. Hunger sated for the moment.

**}xXx{**

The next morning Asami wakes with the sun again, neck stiff as usual from sleeping on the sofa for the past couple of days so he's certainly pleased that the carpet fitters are arriving this afternoon to kit out the boy's room again. Meaning Asami will finally get his bed back.

The progress has been painfully slow, hellish even with the former sex slave so far and Asami is starting to lose his patience what with the trial set to be in two months or so - and the fact that the twenty three year old supposed _man_ must ask permission to visit the lavatory, tries to _blow_ Asami each and every time he has a snack or after a shower, will _not _(surprisingly) sway the jury to look upon him favourably if they were to witness any abnormal behaviour from the boy during the trial, or even get wind of the fact that he's in need of rehabilitation at all.

The detective's had an idea about that for a while, just a faint notion in the back of his mind though as it's somehow risky - just _how_ risky though he doesn't know yet as he's dealt with this guy, Fei Long, before and although the man is a cunning business man and a sort of philanthropist gone bad he is also an underground 'chemist' among other things.

Asami has been dealing (or rather making deals) with Fei Long for years, since Asami began his ascent within the police hierarchy - his ultimate goal being chief of Police, the position truly at the top of the food chain.

From there he'll be in a position to manipulate countless people to his will; officers, businesses, politicians and criminals alike to suit his own needs and therefore obtain the ultimate control over the underworld, legal world, Tokyo and finally, Japan. They'll all be his.

So Asami's plan. While Fei Long is a narcissistic crime lord, a huge driving force in Tokyo's underworld and has been making passes at Asami ever since they met, the man is a useful contact. One with vast resources and who has managed to operate a multi million ¥ illegal organisation successfully right under the nose of the law, operating casinos and smuggling rings dealing in anything from fruit to guns to drugs. Anything that makes money.

Asami resolves to call Fei Long and will hopefully have Akihito in his first (what will hopefully be) counselling session from a criminal with a doctorate degree. The only way it can be done under the radar.

Pondering on that for a while, Asami hasn't much time to even get up and move over to the kitchen counter to prepare breakfast for his guest before the doorbell sounds, drawing him over to answer the door where he's perhaps a little underwhelmed to see his lover standing, arms folded and glaring at him like 'what the hell is he even doing in his own apartment!' She quirks an eyebrow and reaches forward, a couple of her acrylic, manicured nails sliding into Asami's half buttoned shirt only to fist the front of it and drag him to her, him allowing to be pulled towards the pair of rouged lips that force their way to his.

They kiss, a well practiced and confident glide of tongues and lips as is the norm with them. Asami maintains this farce of a relationship merely to keep his body satisfied, it seems to work for the both of them however he is perhaps aware of Aiko's lingering feelings though he _has_ stressed again and again that a relationship - marriage even, is not something that has ever suited Asami before. Too much nagging.

"This is where you've been hiding…"

Asami laughs, drawing away but leaving his arms draped loosely around Aiko's waist, hers around his neck.

"Hardly hiding, I told you did I not that I'd come over when I have time?"

"Right and when will that be exactly, last time you said that I didn't see you for four weeks and found out you were sleeping with that prostitute."

"For a case."

Aiko shakes her head, wondering just what she'll ever do with such a man.

"Hm, whatever -"

They kiss and Aiko pulls Asami to her eagerly, hoping to get a quickie in before work like they usually do. On the kitchen table, floor, sofa, anywhere's fine just as long as he does it right now. She's in for a long ass day and a toe curling orgasm just might keep her nicely mellowed out for a few hours while she gets to grips with her new pain in the ass case.

She moans into the kiss, his almost lazy, infuriatingly amazing kisses draw her in and she runs her hands through his unkempt hair, mussed from having slept on the couch. Aiko leans into him more, breasts clad in _Chanel_ pressing into his chest as she tries to steer him backwards, nudge him to take the hint and to fucking take her already but he just stands there, unyielding and immovable.

She opens her eyes, breaking the kiss to take a breath in protest but before she can, she freezes, eyes focusing over Asami's shoulder and into the apartment where clutched on the door frame is a pale hand. A large hazel eye and a tuft of honey coloured hair peek around the walnut wood door frame which immediately whip back as soon as hazel meets green.

"A-Asami! Who -" She points dramatically towards the hallway, elbow length amber hair falling elegantly from her raised arm "the fuck is _that_?!"

The man turns as expected, honestly surprised that Akihito would have the balls to peek in on him so he relinquishes the grip he had on Aiko and draws back into the apartment, lighting a cigarette and finding a more convenient position, leaning against the dining table.

"A witness."

"Oh yeah? A 'witness' you pay by the hour I'll wager, you're a fucking dog Ryuichi you know that?"

His face, which had been the picture of good humour and ease, falls, shifting his sharp gaze now onto Aiko, he's told her not to use his name plenty of times. When will she learn? She ignores him though, setting her handbag down on the kitchen counter to pull out a cigarette of her own and him, ever the gentleman (when it suits him) lights it for the lady so she takes a long drag, the menthol smoke tickling Asami's nostrils in a way that irritates him immensely.

This is why they're just casual lovers, she embodies everything he hates in a person.

The sex is good though, well, on par.

"There's nothing to explain."

Asami half shrugs as much of an explanation as he's willing to give and she scowls at him, mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like '...still a dog' which he chooses to ignore anyway, looking to get the woman out of his apartment so he can get Akihito to Fei Longs place sooner rather than later. He finishes up his cigarette, stubbing it out and takes Aiko's shoulder in hand, steering her towards him for another panty wetting kiss which surprisingly doesn't seem to deter her from staying. She grumbles, a small growl letting loose from between her clenched jaws but relenting when a pair of lips nip playfully at her chin and neck and she laughs, forgiving him once more and looking up to Asami with so much affection. Too much. She loves him so much but he -

"I'll call you."

"…Yeah. Speak later…"

"Hn."

And just like that she pecks him on the lips and leaves, elevator doors sliding shut as her hand raises, waving a silent goodbye to Asami with a small smile. He turns, entering the apartment and making a beeline straight to the bedroom wondering just what the little peeping tom Akihito could have wanted.

He's not worried though, he and Aiko, while they have been working on opposite sides of the courtroom all these years, Aiko strictly a defence attorney, hasn't affected how things are between them. On the contrary, that's how they had met. And ever since then, the pair have managed to keep their two identities secret as rival professionals by day, fiery lovers by night and _this_ has never entered the courtroom.

Unfortunately though, Aiko is just another pawn for Asami's use. Another rung he must step on for his climb to success.

He reaches the bedroom, opening the door and peeking again at Akihito where he looks stricken, sat in seiza yet again. He knows he's been a little shit.

"Hn." He smirks. "What did you do now?"

"…"

"Hmm? Akihito?"

"…..I….eard p-people….Looked. _You were_…."

Asami smirks, a thumb and forefinger grasping the boy's chin so he can get a better look at those wide, uncertain eyes, giving away his crime.

"Looked at me what?"

"…iss..."

"Hm?"

"Kiss-in...g."

Akihito averts his eyes from where they had wondered absentmindedly to Asami's lips for a moment as he relives the shock of seeing two people kissing like that, seeing Asami so gently but still with so much passion kissing her, not that Akihito can really understand that as the only kisses he's been getting are the ones where he's faced with someones red raw, dripping cock and ordered to 'kiss it slut, make me feel it.' So yeah, quite different indeed.

He blushes, the fingers on his chin tightening a fraction as Asami laughs wickedly at Akihito's expense and takes in, really takes in now the innocent reactions and the way he's biting his bottom lip in confusion. How can this boy - after everything that's happened to him? How can he still be so...?

A few moments pass in silence before Asami comes to, just in time to notice his lips on Akihito's, barely. He feels and sees that the fingers he had grasping the boys chin just a little, have spread, his hand now cupping completely the seemingly fragile jawline below, drawing Ahihito in close.

Asami wonders just when it was that he had moved down into a kneeling position.

He takes in the face a few centimetres away, closed eyes, trembling lips and the flushed cheeks. He asks himself just what the fuck he's thinking and gets up, telling Akihito to come to the kitchen and wait for breakfast already and turns his back on the boy.

He regrets forgoing that quickie with Aiko.

**}xXx{ **

"Well. Do you know why you're here, Akihito?"

Fei Long asks, regarding the boy with coldly amused eyes, chin resting on his hand as he studies the specimen before him and finding the boy quite intriguing. All the more so as it's Asami that had asked him to do him this favour, see what he could do to introduce the kid back into the world somewhat. He had been Sakazaki's toy, plucked from a fate worse than death - it's almost enough to break your heart.

Almost.

"…"

The boy doesn't answer, he can only think of one reason though why his master would send him here so sits obediently, waiting for orders. Fei Long relishes this challenge, reforming a mute sex slave and returning him to so called 'civilised' society. He hasn't had such an enticing invitation for months. Fei Long smiles, his long perfectly black hair falling gracefully over his shoulder as he leans forward in his seat, all the better to get a closer look at his latest project. Akihito sat opposite him across the coffee table.

"Hm, guess not, well…We'll discover that in due course I suppose..."

It's almost hard for Fei Long to decide how to approach the subject of 'oh by the way you aren't a sex slave anymore' and It's almost too fun. The human mind has an indecipherable amount of layers, the human ability to adapt is a fascinating yet fearsome thing. Stockholm syndrome or learned behaviour easily plant their seed and can change a person forever.

Everything that you had learned, the things you had loved - the you and what you had known before that life altering moment becomes nothing. Meaningless.

So, Fei Long needs to see if Akihito has the ability to recall the past, his past self deep down. It _is_ just a case of breaking down those defences that have blocked out everything that had caused him pain before, so Fei Long considers something for a moment, reaching for the coffee table before him to flip through the file Asami had passed onto him. He takes out the '_missing'_ poster, holding it up and gesturing to it for the boy to see. Akihito does see it and stares at it in silence, it's not until Fei Long talks that he looks away, to the floor.

"Who's this?"

Akihito just makes a noise it the back of his throat, he doesn't know.

"Tell me your name."

"…"

Akihito tries to remember what people call him to say the best option though it is difficult because people tend to use a few different words when they refer to him or order him…There's 'Akihito', 'Aki', 'Akihito you little fucker!' 'Oi you, slut, suck it Akihit-Nnnh….Oh', 'kitten' - that's another one, and finally, 'Akihito, you little shit!' He decides though to just go with -

"Aki-hito?"

"Right, Takaba Akihito. Repeat the whole thing back to me…"

"Ta-ka-ba...A-ki-hi...to..".

"Good. How old are you Akihito?"

"U…uh…" That's where Akihito really falters, how old? Theres something about that thats really unsettling, deep down.

"You're twenty three Akihito. Say that back to me."

"Niju-sa...n-sa-i."

"Good, now…this…" He gestures to the photo on the poster again for Akihito to see. "...Is you. Do you remember when this was taken?" Fei Long looks at the boy sharply and Akihito shakes his head, wary now as again, somewhere in his mind an uneasy feeling creeps up and darkens his vision. What exactly is this guy getting at?

"This was taken just over three years ago Akihito, how old do you think you were then?"

Akihito doesn't know at first whether to answer. feeling like he's being coerced into something that he'll find painful, but Asami had told him to behave for Fei Long so he has no choice but to do his best.

"Twen...ty?"

"Yes Akihito. Twenty. Do you remember being twenty? Anything good?"

For some reason the laughing, smiling faces of Asami's friends appear before Akihito's eyes. Koh was it? And Takato? But Akihito just shrugs awkwardly, wracking his brains but coming up utterly blank. Why?

"Nothing good? Well…What about bad things Akihito?"

"Bad?"

Akihito ponders on the word bad for a moment, Sakazaki's leering face swimming in and out of his vision behind his now closed eyelids but there's a sinking feeling, like being pulled into a black hole as he applies that word, bad, to his past. Did anything _bad_ happen? Just why the hell can't he remember? -

Theres a thud of a sudden heartbeat and Akihito opens his eyes with a gasp. There was something, he knows it! There was a feeling more than anything, rough fabric against his face - a noise? Something precious smashing on the cold ground. And darkness.

He breathes a little faster, body and mind racing through the scenes flooding him while Fei Long looks on quietly, not missing a thing. The slightest reaction.

Akihito mumbles, too quietly for Fei Long to hear but he leans forward even more, sharp eyes lip reading the 'no' and 'I don't want to's' falling endlessly from the boys mouth, merely ghosts of words so Fei Long decides to press the matter, gently.

"What is it Akihito, tell me?"

"Nn-"

"Tell me what you see."

"Nh-n…"

"Akihi-"

"NO!"

Fei Long, satisfied for the moment stops and looks to Akihito who sits shaking, stricken with his outburst more than perhaps anything else at the moment. One part of the boy is paralysed with thoughts of how he's disobeyed an order and how angry his master is going to be with him after and what things he may have to do as punishment, will it be the things Sakazaki had made him do all those hundreds of times before?

Hundreds of times before? How, why? Akihito wonders why he's thinking like this - just why the fuck is he even thinking this way? His mind can't comprehend it, how two streams of consciousness are vying for dominance and driving him once more to the very edge of sanity.

On the one hand he could have peace, just forget those horrible, horrific and painful things and just carry one like he has. But now that he's started, slipping ever so slowly like quicksand only to end up in a bottomless pit of his lost past and wished away memories he starts to feel a spark of his old flame alight. This sense of fight, of do or die. How could he have forgotten something he once held so dear?

Even if that is the case though and the desire crops up to regain some of his former self. These hurdles are just too high and too much to conquer all at this time but Akihito can't help but try to fight, even as so many thousands of imaginary figures accost him, so many familiar, sickening feelings wash over him.

He still can't fight the desire to remember, himself.

Just as Fei Long is settling in for more enjoyment, there's a knock at the door and he tuts, Akihito nearly jumping out of his skin as Asami enters, though his eyes do not see anything so he just sits there, hearing mumbles and what he can't help but notice is his name being said by these men. Fei Long mocks sighs in exasperation as he concedes defeat and lets Asami take Akihito home, though not exactly filling him in on what they had accomplished during the session - more fun for Asami that way, right?

Akihito feels the lightest of touches on his arm, though to him right now the touch scolds. Cold enough to burn. Asami just tuts and grabs Akihito's arm, yanking him up and commands the mute to go with him. Fei Long being as insufferable as ever had only provided a cryptic explanation as to what had gone on the past hour and a half while Asami had been at work.

Akihito, wide eyed, feels himself be dragged along and lead past an intrigued Fei Long and eventually out of the building. Asami curses softly as he feels the boy trembling behind him but little does he know it's due to the shock of recovered memories so he leads him to the car and forces him into the passenger seat, his body pliable like a moulding material.

They drive in silence to Asami's place and as the flickering lights pass by, the sirens, car horns and distant rumble of trains can't help but stir up Akihito's subconscious - a dark van, tinted windows, strange people - men.

A hand forcing it's way over his mouth, into his jeans and then -

_no, don't -_

Eager fingers, opening him up -

_don't remember -_

Disgustingly slick, hard lengths pressing into him - one after the other -

_please - no!_

Laughing, fists pulling at his hair, forcing him to watch as they -

_No! - I'd rather die than remember this! No!_

"-ihito, out of the ca-"

"NO!"

Asami doesn't get to finish that sentence and stumbles back some as, with a sudden burst of frantic energy, Akihito screams and takes advantage of the freedom granted by Asami undoing his seatbelt and opening the car door. He pushes roughly past the man and makes it all of two feet before his body is snared and pulled back towards an overwhelmingly hard body, Asami's muscles coiled sharply in response to Akihito's sudden flight.

"Don't! Don't run from me Akihito."

Akihito can do nothing but frantically struggle, grunting in his effort to break free even going so far as bite into Asami's right hand, teeth latching on and biting deeply into the fleshy part between his thumb and forefinger in sheer panic to try and break free but Asami just holds the boys jaw tighter, drawing his head back slowly and his lips creeping closer to the boys ear. Hot, angry breaths raise the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Stop struggling or this won't end well for you Akihito. Have I given you reason not to trust me?"

Akihito doesn't say anything, he can't, so he just keeps struggling but Asami shakes him back into submission once more against himself, holding him close and rather luckily no one is currently around to witness this frightening display in the parking garage, at this time of night.

"Answer me! - When have I harmed you Akihito?"

And like that Akihito stills, jaw still clamped down on Asami's hand though and it's a few more seconds before he slowly releases it, blood dripping steady after both from the wound and the boy's mouth where Asami's blood had pooled inside.

He breathes deeply, mucus and sobs rising up from deep inside with all of his confusion and he gags, a thousand long forgotten disturbing memories and images flashing behind his now closed eyes. He screams into the empty space of the parking lot, falling to his knees and banging on the concrete floor until his hands bleed and he retches up all the pain and misery within him.

He can't explain it, can't even begin to think but it's somehow liberating his mind, vomiting up the past. Though at the same time, further destroying his soul as in the past his only defence, his saviour, was the ever silent, lonely plains of his mind which have now been irreparably breached, now there's no place left to hide from the sheer terror of his own past.

The last three years.

Asami just watches on and lets him cry, scream, claw at his hair and beat the asphalt until blood starts to flow more freely, he knows Akihito needs this pain, needs to know he's alive and able to feel if he's going to start making some sort of a recovery.

Eventually when all has gone quiet and all that is heard are the small, shallow breathes from the pitiful boy on the tyre burned floor he hushes the boy, dragging him finally to the apartment.

**}xXx{**

"Drink."

Akihito doesn't move from where he's cowered in the corner of Asami's living room, he just stares suspiciously at the tall man across from him with the most soul shaking glare he can manage like he knows that Asami had definitely and actually managed to drug the warm milk somehow even though the man had prepared it (much to Akihito's astonishment, it being so random after him almost biting the mans hand off) right in front of him. Asami has none of it though, he just places the glass down by Akihito's retreating feet on the parquet floor and commands him to drink once more.

Asami thinks it was easier to have an Akihito that did exactly what he was told. He sighs again.

"Look, I'll tell you once more. I'm not going to hurt you, you know this. Drink the milk and you'll feel a lot better."

Better huh? Akihito cynically thinks shakily. All this feels so weird, Alien. Like he's awoken from a long sleep plagued with nightmares only to be faced with a new terrifying bleakness. But somehow he feels safe here. With this man who say's he won't hurt him.

After a few minutes, Akihito moves almost imperceptibly slowly, like he's expecting a sudden, violent movement from his captor but theres nothing. He takes the glass in a bloody, trembling hand and takes the tiniest sip of milk, noting that since he was sick, this is going down surprisingly well and oh how his body craves hydration!

He didn't realise how thirsty throwing up had made him so he finishes the glass before he even realises what he's doing but stays there, on the floor in the corner of the living room where he had ran to as soon as Asami had attempted to enter the apartment and Akihito felt cornered once more.

"T-thank…you..."

Asami just nods in acknowledgement, taking note that this is the first time Akihito has managed to use words rather than offer the obligatory blow job. He lights up to smoke his way silently through a cigarette with his still bloodied hand, a perfect way to kill time until -

Theres a dull thud as Akihito slides the rest of the way down the wall and hits the floor gently, fast asleep and Asami lightly regrets taking advantage of the _positively minute_ amount of trust Akhito had shown him by drinking the milk after he had _assured him_ that 'he'd feel a lot better' - well, technically he will after Asami has managed to clean and dress the fresh cuts on Akihito's hands, not to mention his that _he_ himself needs some first aid, this kitten bites back.

It takes some time to bathe an unconscious Akihito but after that he leaves him wrapped up in a fluffy robe on his own king size bed so he can dress his own wound, he then disinfects all of Akihito's wounds (ones on his ass included) and places bandages on his hands. He then dresses him and carries the boy to his own bedroom where it smells clean once more, new carpet having been fitted today. He pulls back the crisp white sheets and places the sleeping boy under and looks at the cuddly toy propped on the bedside table.

He wonders somewhere why he had brought such an item. Had he just wanted the boy to have some kind of comfort? Sure he's a twenty three year old man now but, he's had no shred of comfort for the past three years.

He tucks him in and runs his un-bandaged hand through Akihito's hair, the boy too heavily dosed to do anything but snore lightly. Asami thinks over the case, he needs to ask Aiko what angle defence is going for so he can prepare, a sense of competition often driving Aiko and him in their courtroom endeavours. Hell, even other endeavours too. Their love-hate relationship or whatever it is seems to function this way even if it is all kinds of fucked up.

Asami knows he'll have to come back in a few hours to give the next dose of methadone to this boy, which now may seem impossible as Akihito may never consent to go near the detective ever again. But it's necessary. He can't help but hope that slowly but steadily that the boy is on the mend, and that if it's possible he can start to recover now and find himself again and win Asami this goddamned case.


End file.
